HyperDimension Neptunia: Pursuing Perfection
by Noire Heart
Summary: After the events of Re;Birth 2 it is natural for Re;Birth 3 to roll out, right? But... What if something happened before the appearance of Rei Ryghts and all of her shenanigans? Imagine if the CPUs ended up being separated from their HDD forms, giving said forms a free mind and will... What do you think will happen then? Will the help of an OC be needed? The answer is a click away!
1. The prologue

_**=-Hyperdimension Neptunia: Pursuing Perfection.-=**_

**_=-The prologue-=_**

An overview of the world grants a clear sight over the peaceful world. Divided into four lands and nations, some connected by land, while some by a nice, blue link of sea.  
Okay, let's cut to the chase, who wouldn't know Gamindustri, and its four legendary nations: Planeptune, Lastation, Lowee and Leanbox, hm? Had you not, you wouldn't be here!

Our mystical world finds itself in a state of peace, truly. After the events of ASIC and its leader, "Deity of Sin", the whole world calmed down, and for a good span of time, too!

Our CPUs finally found the time to relax and rest, especially in a day such as this one: clear blue sky, like a floating ocean right above their heads, birds chirping happily, their songs an instrument of nature. A couple of clouds dare decorate said platform here and there, and the cherry on top was a fine, cool breeze that would patrol every now and then, scanning the area smoothly and making sure the world remains reinvigorated and nice. Nothing would beat a nice cup of tea and a nice book to read, or an interesting game to complete. And what do you know, maybe some people prefer overworking even in such day! But what mattered is that everything was fine, a little boring, but still a lot better than a stand-off with evil encarnat-

"What do you mean CFW Magic is alive?!"

Oh goddammit! Hide the kids!  
"You heard me… I just received a call from Meito about some woman with a lot of weird goth-y makeup, an eye-patch and a huge scythe in hand," IF spoke up, she was having a video call with all four CPUs: Neptune, Noire, Blanc and Vert over the appearance of a formidable foe presumed dead.  
"Oh come on, Iffy! Making all this unnecessary ruckus, it could be just some weirdo who looks just like her, y'know how emo kids are like nowadays…" The CPU of Planeptune: Neptune spoke up, she showed no signs of clear concern and accompanied her statement with a casual shrug.

"I don't know about you, Neptune, but I would much rather deal with today's problems than leaving them for tomorrow." A quiet voice was heard by the other four, its source none other than the CPU of Lowee, Blanc. She calmly addressed Neptune's statement, her expressions emotionless "I don't mind checking it out, if it is to make sure a life threat isn't on the loose."  
"I agree with Blanc, it would be in our best of interests to investigate this sighting. Should it prove right, then we will find ourselves at an advantage, as defeating her should not prove too hard with all five of us, especially if we assume that it hasn't been too long since her revival." A mature voice followed. Vert's features were serious and unwavering, the woman knew when it was time to drop her casual and perverted demeanour.

"Then it's settled, let's go." Nodding confidently, Noire, with a decisive tone, stood up from her chair. She disconnected from the call and put her Laptop on sleep mode before shouting: "Uni, I'm heading out, please take care of any business for me."

**Lowee:**

The goddess of white wasn't any different, putting on her heavy coat and iconic hat, Blanc's expression calm and collected as always. "Mina, please take care of things while I'm gone."

**Leanbox:**

The most mature of the four was to set off as well, she elegantly stood up, folding her hands together, the expression from earlier turning kinder and more gentle, maybe as to not worry a certain oracle? "Chika?~ I'm going out for a walk, please take care of any sudden quests for me, dear."

**And last but not least…:**

"Oh geez… You ladies are such worry warts…" Unlike the other three, our casual CPU playfully plops out of her seat, both hands behind her head. She hums her way out of the basilicom, a smile always decorating said girl's features. "Ah well, I can go for a nice little flight in this good ol' day!" She muttered, carelessly leaving her computer booted.

Alongside the four Goddesses and their aerial view, a most trustworthy guild agent took upon herself the duties of pursuing at a ground level, her Katars sharp and ready, IF departed as well.

None of the five knew what the future was truly holding for them… How strong has Magic become? Is she alone? Is it even CFW Magic to begin with? One thing was certain: They will never rest before making sure Gamindustri is, and will always be safe.

Truly… When your loved world and its people are being threatened, then that alone will act as a spark, a spark that will light up the sleeping fire within us, a fire that never dims, the will and determination to protect others!

* * *

**But…**

**No matter how strong such fire is, under certain circumstances, it dwindles further and further. With strong and merciless cold winds, the fire eventually… Perishes.**

* * *

**My world is a ruin.**

**I'm at a stand-off with the one I can't defeat.**

**My eyes are a blur, my body hurts, my consciousness is about to fade...**

_"What are you fighting for, Mollie?!"_

**I might just die here.**

**But I can't give up…! Not yet...**

_"You lost!"_

**I have to keep pulling through…**

**For them.**

_"Your allies are dead!"_

**For mom…**

**For Mia…**

**For Jay...**

_"Your loved one have perished, and your world has bitten dust!"_

**I have to keep going.**

**I can't falter, not any more…**

**One mistake, and their sacrifices, will be in vein…**

_"You are all alone... Like me!"_

**I need to do my best... But...**

_"Even if you manage to conquer me, do you think you will rebuild this whole world all by yourself?!"_

**I can't...**

**I'm too weak to move...**

**Is this my downfall...? This... can't be... it...**

**I... can't... lose...**

**I…**

**I…**

**=-Prologue: End.-=**


	2. Chapter 1: Absence of Halves

**Hey everyone! **

**First things first, I would like to apologise for the long, long pause I had with this project. Just... A bomb of events exploded nearby or something, I found rarely anytime to properly write and get my thoughts straight. **

**I'm hoping that from here on out, I will be able to focus more on my hobbies such as writing, drawing, reading... Yadi yadi ya, but what matters is more content! More content, yay! **

***Cough* Sorry about that. So without further ado...**

**Enjoy!~ **

**(Side note: Editing a 10k words chapter took almost a whole day, and the second read through took another. I apologise in advance for any writing mistakes if you were to bump into any.) **

* * *

_**=-Hyperdimension Neptunia : Pursuing Perfection-=**_

_**=-Chapter 01: Absence of Halves-=**_

"Hiyah!" A courageous, determined war-cry resonated, echoing repetitively against the factory walls, with each imitation growing further and quieter. What followed was a sharp clank born from the clash of two blades, forcing one of the wielders to be pushed back aggressively and thus lose hold of her blade.

The blade or more precisely, the scythe flew across the building horizontally, digging deeply into a wall. It was far from reach now.

Vulnerable to any kind of attack, the un-armed eye-patched woman dropped to a knee. Her breaths were heavy and her body was exhausted and damaged. "Hmph… I seem to have underestimated you… CPUs." She spoke, eying certain four with fierce hatred.

"My… It seems that our concerns were out of place…" Green Heart mocked, elegantly holding her spear behind her. The woman's features were confident and underestimating.

"Hahaha! I can't believe we were all riled up about her revival, when she can't even put up a real fight! What a shame." Harsh, cutting words were none other's than CPU Black Heart's. The white haired goddess had a smirk cracking her features, resting her share-flooded sword on a shoulder. She turned to her divine allies and more precisely, Planeptune's Goddess. "And to think you were so uneasy before, Neptune."

The formerly addressed CPU sighed, boldly stabbing her purple blade into the ground "No need to remind me… Had I known she would be this weak, I wouldn't have bothered worrying…" Purple Heart narrowed her eyes, annoyed by her friend's teasing.

* * *

**Two Hours Ago.**

"Lastation, eh?" Soaring the skies with the eyes of a hunting eagle, White Heart spoke. She addressed the ear piece equipped before the start of the mission.

"Yeah, I just received a call from Kei saying one of the watching soldiers spotted Magic heading towards Mid-Company, south of Lastation." Black Heart confirmed, detailing the source of her information.

"Freaking hag… All right, I'll be there in about two hours."  
"Heavens, Blanc, how unlike you to take so long." A deeper voice rang through the ear piece, making its source easy to distinguish, it was Green Heart. Not long after, the same remark was attended to by a serious, heavenly sound. "That's true, is everything all right, Blanc?" Purple Heart asked kindly.

"Hey, you know gaining weight won't make you less flat, right?" unexpectedly, it was the transformed workaholic who took a swing at the loweean's lady pride, following it with a not-so-innocent chuckle "You'll only look weird!"

"The hell did you just say to me?! You freaking loner!" Failing to remain cool –unlike the weather-, the axe wielder let out her true self, clearly bothered by her companion's words.

In the midst of the heat, the most level-headed of the four spoke up. "Okay, let's stop before this goes too far…" An annoyed sigh followed shortly after. "We'll wait for you then, just don't take too long."

"Tsh… You can just go in without me, you know?" Attempting to remain calm, White Heart swallowed her outrage, giving the green light for the three to engage once they meet up.

Unexpectedly, Neptune opposed to the most impatient idea, and remained true to her initial plan. "I don't want to repeat past mistakes, if we have a chance at finishing this right now, I prefer going all out."

"You mean you are scared, right?" Lastation CPU replied shortly after.

"If you define being careful as fear, then yes. I am very scared." Barely noticeable, a wave of irritation rode the purple lady's tone. She seemed awfully focused on the task at hand.

* * *

"All right enough chit-chat! Let's just finish this bitch and be done with it—" The divine axe wielder ran dry on patience, she clutched her weapon tightly and pointed it at the fallen villain. But only to be interrupted by a sudden crack in Magic's face… She was smiling. "Heh?! What's so funny!?"

Unlike the battle-oriented, aggressive White Heart. An abrupt shift befell the lavender CPU, waving at the three in an urgent manner. "Watch out!"

"Eat this you dumb broads!" unanticipated, a loud yell disturbed the share-fuelled-yonin , it's source a Green haired girl with grey skin, her features were hostile and rash. Not wasting any time on dramatic entrances, she threw a certain item at the winning side.  
All four had their eyes on the cross-shaped matter, housing an evil, crimson aura. An Anti-Share crystal…!

"Watch out—Ughh…" unable to react on time, the white haired deity was disrupted by the instantaneous feeling drainage swarming not only her being, but all of Underling's opposing force.

The CPUs were forced to dropping on their knees, powerless under the immense pressure tightening on them. Magic used this opportunity to regain one's composure, clutching back her once-lost scythe and placing it before Purple Heart. She smirked, eying the incapable leaders. "Pathetic. You had victory right within your grasps, and you decided to dance foolishly around it." Retracting her blade over-head, the revived CFW's eyes shot open maniacally, she was an inch from flipping the tables once and for all. "Taste the ominous embrace of death, CPUs!"  
"Not on my watch!"

An unexpected aching sensation disturbs the vengeful woman's features, causing her to stumble back, balance quickly escapes her.

As she lands her dramatic kick perfectly, the uninvited guest flips backwards beautifully, landing like a cat after falling from a tree. The CPUs were left looking at her heroic back. "I-I..ffy…" Neptune called out with all her strength as an attempt to warn the top guild-worker. "B…ehind you…"

It was instantaneous how the brunette reacted to her Goddess' admonition, shifting quickly behind her to catch a glimpse of an approaching iron pipe. "Haaaah! Take this you freaking tomboy!"

The katar wielder dodged a barrage of attacks safely, then instinctively unleashed the blades hidden within her sleeves, proficiently parrying off the delinquent's weapon. She kicked her next to the recovering Scythe wielder.  
"Geez… I told you to wait for me." With the situation under control, the saviour wasted no time at kicking the anti-share crystal as far as possible. "And to think you were all excited to "Get some steam off"… I can't have my eyes off you girls for a second—"  
IF interrupted herself after the sudden movement she felt behind her, delaying the catchy phrases and getting back into battle-mode.  
A raucous clank resonates again, this time the forces were equal. The teenager managed to lock Magic's scythe with both of her blades, but slowly would the opposing bit near closer and closer to the Maker's forehead.

"CPUs or humans, you're all so foolish." ASIC's notable member clasped her weapon with both hands, pushing as hard as she could muster "Do you truly believe someone as merely as you can defeat me?"

Shadow casted at the leaf-bow rocker's features, suddenly, she sneered. "Tsh, maybe not… But that doesn't mean I can't take you out with me!" her reply was no bluff, IF's usual calm irises were now menacing and threatening. Her pupils reduced to a thin vertical line. "Demon Inferno!"  
A swift glow illuminated the caster's hand, followed by a magical ring gradually igniting and trapping both warriors in. Not long after did it flash in a strong orange light accompanied by a chain of explosions filling the surface of said shape which followed up with a tenacious and loud pillar of fire, engulfing the two mercilessly.

"IF!" Cried the stumbling Purple Heart, finally regaining enough strength to stand up.

"LADY MAGIC!" Underling reminded of her presence, it wasn't only the CPUs who had someone cared for being devoured by merciless fangs of heat.

The raging fiery erection dwindled after a moment that felt like ages. From it surfaced IF and CFW Magic, Signs of critical burns befell both of them.  
"Hah… C-Curse you… Using such… Pathetic measures!" Struggling visibly, the death harbinger had a hard time breathing, let alone speaking properly. She stumbled back yet again before leaning on her blade's handle.  
On the other hand, IF's arms dropped to her sides as she grasped for every bit of air possible. Not long after would she lose consciousness, thankfully dropping safely into the arms of a caring Neptune.

"IF! IF!" In a visible state of panic, the blue eyed Goddess shook the brunette, half-heartedly hoping she would wake up, or respond.

Suddenly, a reassuring palm was felt on the twin-tailed CPU. Naturally, she turned behind to behold the still-recovering Green Heart at her side. "Calm yourself, Neptune. She merely passed out. It is not befitting of you to worry so much, especially in the midst of a battle." After struggling to stand up, Vert leaned on her spear, her smooth and youthful features fatigued. "You know IF isn't the type to give her life up, so wipe those tear off and stand up…"

Before the skilled spear wielder could finish her encouraging speech, Black Heart and White Heart were back on their feet, both clasping their weapons tightly. "We still have an important duty at hand…" Along with her, Neptune, Noire and Blanc all pierced Magic with their unforgiving gazes.  
Unfortunate to them, though… "It seems I am left with no other choice, then." Their foe not giving up, smiled menacingly. Her hand glowed in a dark, corrupted purple. Not hesitating, she mercilessly thrusted her hand forward, casting a ray of matching colour on the four, which instinctively earned a cry of pain from all of them.

Though, after mere second, each of the quartet came to realizing that no harm befell any of them, and the said radiation had no effect…

"Huh?" Purple Heart looking down at herself, was flabbergasted. Her gaze quickly turned to the rest of the girls, who greeted her with similar expressions…

"Tsh, freaking witch. That was probably some cheap ass trick to escape… Freaking hell." The foul mouthed White Heart had no intention of suppressing her real emotions. She drove her divine axe towards a wall, dematerializing it afterwards.

"Calm down before you break this whole place on our heads." Black Heart scolded, a line forming between her eyebrows. "Let's get out of here, we need to think of a new plan, and also get IF treated."

With the mission meeting a disappointing failure, the sanctities of Gamindustri returned to their respective nations. Neptune made sure to bring IF back to the basilicom, with Histoire giving her proper treatments, she was ought to recover as soon as possible and the spiky haired child couldn't be anymore thankful.

Though, one thing remained lingering in the minds of the quaternion… 'What's Magic's next step going to be? And was that radiation she used really for escaping purposes?'

"Yeouch…" the goofy ruler put a hand on her aching head. "I knew thinking wasn't my selling point… Oh well! Guess I'll just snooze the pain away and ask the others what to do tomorrow."

She shrugged the disturbance as nothing but your everyday head pains and called it a day. Carelessly throwing herself at the comfortable and pillow-overloaded bottom bunk. It took no more than minutes before the exhausted tyke began to snore in her own, fashio-Nep-able way.

They say when you sleep, the night feels like nothing but a blink of an eye. The moment you allow yourself to be carried by the feather-like arms of slumber, the next thing you witness is the morning light waving at you from behind your curtains and eyelids.

Though… Has the morning rays always been purple?

"Nepu~… Nep…- N-Nepu? NEPU?!" Exhausted, Neptune's awakening was anything but casual. Sun was yet to rise, so what was the source of this ignited glow?

"N-Nep Jr.? Are you… Seeing this?" The startled girl questioned, peeking slightly above her head, but only for her tiny ears to pick up on Nepgear's peaceful breaths… 'How are you not awake?' is what she wanted to say, had the thought not been interrupted by a searing migraine. The girl could have sworn her skull was splitting open, or so it felt like.

Unlike your everyday throbbing head though, this one subsided almost immediately. The hurting Goddess was left clutching her head in both palms, before finally looking up to witness a blurry violet scenery presented by teary eyes… It was then that she realized that it was herself, the source of the glow.

"H-Huh…?" Confused, the florid girl laid her irises upon an unexplainable sight. The state of disbelief causing her arms to drop to her sides…

She could barely utter a word as the figure before her headed for the window not bothering to utter a word, the twin tailed silhouette would only gaze behind to reveal her stellar blue eyes before flying away…

"P… Purple Heart?!" faint voice filled the awkward room.

With every ounce of sleep drained out of the Goddess, she makes no detours while heading to her office and booting up the desktop computer. Not soon after, a greater doze of surprise surges the girl…

There was already a call waiting for her.

She gazes the time: 5:30…

'Not even Noire would stay up this late…' A pit made itself known in Neptune's stomach, for some reason she could already tell the context of the call…

**Click.**

"Neptune!" A whispered yell came through, it's origin seemingly unwilling to wake up the rest of the basilicom. It was indeed Noire, the hard worker had bags under her beauteous cardinal gems of sight. She looked anything but amused too, and soon would a vigorous blush liven her features. "I've called you countless—C-Close your parka, idiot!"

"Oh… Whoops!" Neptune instantly ziped her parka upwards, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly.

With the miniature venting and scolding out of the way, the stressed goddess cleared her voice and continued. "Just, forget it… Most importantly…" She paused for a second, her breathes seemed to have cut under the sharp memories she just recalled.

"Let me guess, you had some super weird hallucination where you saw your HDD in front of you?" The pudding lover played cool.

"Hey, don't interrupt me!—Wait…! So I was right!—" The conversation hadn't gotten far before a third then a fourth ostentatious requests wished to join the call. Noire and Neptune paid no mind second guessing their actions and instantaneously accepted…

They knew very well who it was.

A corner was reserved for each small portrait of Vert and Blanc. The two divinities carrying the same symptoms troubling the black and purple Goddesses… Visible fatigue and lack of sleep.

"My… It seems seeing you two up at such time would confirm my suspicions, unfortunately…" The mature woman folds her hands, trying one's best at remain cool and collected.

A sudden sigh surged the chat, carrying aura of irritation and impatience. "I'm not sure if it makes me feel better knowing I'm not the one who saw her HDD fly out the window…" A bitter 'Tsh' escapes the brown haired minor's lips. "Why would this happen now of all times…"

"Mmm…" Noire began pressing at her temples, unable to focus or think. "I can't even think properly with this stupid headache, ugh…"

"All right ladies… Let's calm down our skirts and cool down our steamy noggins'…" A less enthusiastic than usual tone leaves Neptune's lips, she does her best to maintain her customary demeanour. "You tend to be super choppy after being rudely awaken by some super weird light."

"Your point?" Blanc deadpanned, the literary girl had almost no patience left in her to deal with the protag of all protags.

"Me thinks we should take a nice break and wash our sweaty bodies before meeting up and talking about this mind boggling shenanigans." The spiky haired tyke beamed, but with the miserable fatigue visible on her, the attempt of looking cheerful almost made her appear more desperate if anything.

**Bang.**

A loud desk smack resonated, its source a frustrated Noire, she looked Neptune dead in the eyes. "This isn't the time to be taking breaks, Neptune! We should think of something and fast!"

"Calm down, Noire." Vert confronts the raven hair. Her mug best described as scolding. "It's a surprisingly sane idea, especially coming from Neptune. Taking some time to clear our minds will be most beneficial to us, and especially you, considering how you look right now." The well-mannered gamer darted her violet irises towards the Noire on her screen, narrowing said peepers in a judging manner. "Unless you want to wake up poor Uni and get her all worried, hmm?" The smile accompanying her statement finisher was anything but innocent, Vert's tongue knew when to become sharper than a sword. At least, sharp enough to put the workaholic back in her seat, defeated. She lets an annoyed sigh before asking. "Then what's your big plan?"

Clearing her throat, Leanbox's ruler carried on. "As said before, we should do as Neptune said, and not rush things. I suggest meeting in Planeptune at nine in the morning. I doubt any of you can actually get back to bed, so that's plenty of time to think about everything."

Such level-headed suggestion was met with pleased expressions, that is… If the cosplayer's 'Whatever, not like I want to do this or anything' face could be considered very pleased…

"What a pain…" A quiet voice complained, it's owner struggling at keeping her inexpressiveness. "Just don't be late." With that, Blanc unprecedentedly exited the call.

Noire and Vert did the same with nothing more left to say. It was a routine for calls between the four to end this way.

Yawning, Neptune found herself a prey for the hunting loneliness… 'Sure is quiet here at five in the morning, huh?' she thought to herself, moments before that train of thought was tipped over by the shattering noise resonating from the basilicom doors.

Usually, the night guards should take care of any late-night disturbance, but as their boss peeked her head through the door of the guardroom, she found the wardens sleeping. Their loud snoring vibrating the room's insides.

Neptune's eyes narrowed, as much as it was her duty to scold them right now, they were not to blame… Partially. Barely anything happens anymore, and it would not be surprising if their CPU's work ethic rubbed off on their own…

That didn't make it less annoying, though.

Realizing that someone must do the door greeting, the parka rocker dragged her feet to the portal, giving it a gentle pull. "Noire…? Don't tell me you somehow managed to get here this early—Oh, Compa!" Her exhausted peepers jumped with surprise. She held herself from embracing the peach haired girl after glancing at her troubled mug. Judging by Compa's breathing, she came here running.

"S-Sorry if I woke you up, Nep-Nep." Recollecting her breaths, she continued. "There was so much work at the hospital, and I just managed to finish it."

As the hospital worker finished her line, the basilicom portals jarred wider, welcoming her in. "Well, what're ya' standing there for? Come in!"

Politely, Compa excused herself in, delving deeper into the lobby before turning back to her friend. "I want to check on Iffy…" With a frown that could melt the coldest of hearts, the angelic girl looks down. "I got your message right before my break, but I couldn't leave… There were so many people that needed my help!"

With the exit sealed, the shorter of the two turned to face the concerned girl, mustering her best of smiles. "Aw don't sweat it Compy poo. Iffy's fine! She is just snoozing after going head to head with the final boss."

"Thank goodness… I was super worried." She sighs in relief, the girl showed no signs of leaving yet. "But someone has to stay by her side and I'm sure miss Histoire is too busy, so I'm here to help!"

"Well the more the merrier! Mi Basilicom es su Basilicom!" The careless friend opens her arms dramatically, like a villain welcoming the protagonist to his lair after a long journey… Of course, her intents weren't as morbid.

Unexpected by the two, a sudden quiet voice joined the chatter. "Neptune? My, I've been wondering who could be up so early. But I honestly expected it to be Nepgear." A small fairy-like entity emerges from above the stairs sitting on her usual tome. Unlike her normal outfit, Histoire had a tiny night-gown of a luxurious, silky, pink cloth. She also had a cute pair of eye covers resting on her forehead. "Ah, and miss Compa as well. What brings you here at such hour?" She leads a curious finger to her cheek.

"Oh, morning miss Histoire." Compa turned to Histoire, smiling her usual heart-warming beam at the book fairy. "I just finished working, so I decided to come and help with taking care of Iffy!"

"I see… Please try not to push yourself too hard." An audible concern rode the second in charge's sound waves. "Please follow me, miss IF's room is this way."

Floating up the stairs, the motherly figure led the path. The caring medic quickly followed behind, politely excusing herself. "All right! I'll be going now Nep-Nep, see you around!"

Waving, the two girls return to their duties, and Neptune found herself at a downtime.

'Whelp, guess I'll take a shower then.' She thought to herself, before glancing quickly at the clock hanging from the wall…

**6:00.**

'Time sure flies when you lose track of it, huh?'

Without further ado, the girl headed to her bathroom, trying one's best not to wake up Nepgear.

* * *

"Here we are." Coming back to the angelic duo, Histoire floated in front of a door, gently addressing the caretaker before scanning her expression. She then realized it's a deep mix between fear and sadness. The girl was no longer hiding her true feelings. "Are you fine, Compa?"

"Oh, I'm fine!" She jumped, not expecting the question. "I'm just… Really worried about Iffy…" It hurt, seeing the usually bright and happy nurse in such state as now. The displeasure snuck it's way to her vocal cords as well, creating a pained, regretful tone. "I can't stop thinking about the pain she must be in. Maybe if I went with her, she wouldn't be so hurt now…" her eyes filled with tears, resembling wet mirrors that reflected their surroundings.

The girl was mere inches from breaking into tears, were it not for the reassuring palm that rested on her fidgety shoulder. "Please do not blame yourself for this outcome. IF is not in a critical state and I'm sure she will be relieved to know that you are there to take care of her. Had you ventured along, a worst case scenario could have taken place." As the sweater rocker looked up at Histoire, the book fairy met her gaze with a caring smile. "Do not belittle your efforts, surely you realize that simply being by her side would significantly improve her state… But you must regain your cheer before doing so." Her gentle words settled deeply in Compa's heart.

Wiping off her tears, the girl smiled, and brightly so. "You're right, I should be strong for Iffy! Thank you miss Histoire."

With that settled, Histoire gave the door a gentle push, exposing to the contents of the room behind it.

What the girl's eyes darted to first was the unconscious individual laying atop the lonely bed in the room, with her usual coat not hanging on her shoulders. IF was bandaged neck to toe with white, clean bandages and two Band-Aids nursing her left cheek and her nose.

The syringe wielder steeled her heart, taking a deep breath before stepping in the room. It was then that she paid attention to the soothing and comforting air present in the room… It was carefully conditioned, which effortlessly shooed away all the uneasiness plaguing her mind.

"I will be in my room getting ready for the day. Do not hesitate at talking to me whenever you need anything." With that, Histoire gave her companion the privacy she needed.

Glancing around, the nurse finally analysed the space.

Its walls painted in the iconic colours for Planeptune: Two thick purple lines slashed diagonally at the walls, originating from the top left and bottom right of each side. The violet paint allowed for a void within it to be filled with a nice, snowy colour.

At the centre of the space had a table similar to the one located at the lilac goddesses' room, only with larger specifications. It was surrounded by two black wood, cushioned chairs with multiple flower engravings on them.

Next to IF's cot was a bedside drawer, it was fabricated from the same material as the former property. It had three large drawers and two smaller ones peeking from the front. The storage spaces had golden handles decorating their faces while the furniture's body was simple and plain. On top of the wood-work was a fancy vase of flowers, it was white with multi-coloured flowers carefully drawn on it; It looked rather expensive. The glassy pot housed within it a bouquet of Anemones that looked rather fresh. 'Histoire probably changes those as frequently as possible.'

Behind the flowers was an opal, clear mirror. The peachette would not have noticed it were it not for its flower themed boarder, harnessing an uplifting siege of violets which extended around the reflective material.

Trailing further in, Compa's feet no longer gave birth to a clacking noise, which then pulled her attention towards the fancy and well-combed purple carpet. It had a polished lining across its outskirts, one of a lilac shade. Finally, the circular cloth adopted Planeptune's logo in its middle, simple yet net flawlessly.

It was then that the caretaker began questioning the lack of any source of entertainment in the room. No TV nor a computer. All that could relate to such factor was the decently-sized shelf grabbing her peripheral sight. Displaying a selection of differently coloured book covers, the literary fountain itself seemed to be of the same material as its neighbouring furniture, placed right next to a pair of doors which led to a small balcony. The gates were covered with fine thin purple cloth, the curtains had a wrapping at their middle, leaving them to cover only the top corners of the black wooded portals. The hand-net window covers allowed for the sun-lights to highlight the room in lavender.

An unexpected, pained moan brings Compa back to her senses. She glanced back at the unconscious agent to find her breathing heavily. "You look in so much pain, Iffy…" Her face adopted a sad set of features, it hurt just as much to see her best friend in such heart breaking state.  
She headed towards the table, taking one of the surrounding chairs. She wobbled cutely before placing it at an appropriate distance for her to treat the brunette when necessary, and sat down, her palms resting on her thighs.  
"I'll do my best to make you feel better… I promise."

* * *

"Haaaaah…" A satisfied and relaxed sigh escapes the bathroom, judging by the childish and immature tone, it could only be one person.

Indeed, out came Neptune from her bath, a towel covering her head and another swirling around her small body.  
With Nepgear still asleep, the refreshed girl was confident in her solitude… She didn't bother changing and left her room. 'Hey, if no one is looking, why not enjoy the nice air, ay?' she thought to herself.  
It was then that she remembered: ["Neptune, please clean the meeting room… It's a mess!"] A mini Histoire appeared in the procrastinator's thinking bubble, she was trying to be pouty, but only looked cuter.

That aside, the troublesome Goddess had to clean the meeting room. She could recall the last time being at said room:

* * *

"Whoa, Noire! How long did it take you to pile up all these papers?!" The least mature of the CPUs asked with the curiosity of a child.

"About two hours. I had Uni help me, so it didn't take that long." Noire puts a proud palm on one of the three stacks of paper.

"NEPU?! I thought you were going to say a whole day!" Unlike when she teases her friend, Neptune's surprise was anything but fake.

"So… These are the papers that need signing?" As always, Blanc went straight into business.  
"Mhm, each stack is dedicated to one of you, I had no reason to bring my stack from Lastation. This is why I asked you to come in a proper transportation manner rather than just flying in HDD." The secret-singer reminded the group of her remark. "I doubt any of you want to fly back carrying all of these."

Vert sighed in disappointment, though her reaction seemed almost faked. "What a hassle. But if it's the last remaining to get the Basiliview working, then I will bear with it."  
With the leaders of nations which names starting with the letter "L" getting distracted in their miniature chatter, the unsupervised eggplant hater started toying with the stack placed before her. Comparing it to her head and even her full bodily size. It was bigger than both.  
'Oh come on, she probably cheated and most of these have nothing written on them! Let me juuust.' The assumption led her into attempting to slip a sheet out of the bunch, which ultimately spelled the stacking's demise.

"… Whoops…" An awkward smile is all she could muster under the judging eyes of the trio. "So! Who's going to be a gentlewoman and help me—"  
Before even finishing her statement, Noire, Blanc and Vert began taking their leave.

"Later." The delivery girl was first to leave everyone's sights. She managed to do so quickly since she had no carriage to bother with.

"Take care, Neptune." And Vert followed.

"Don't call me." Last but not least, Blanc booked it for the exit, not daring to look back.

"NEPU?! They left before I could even say a thing!" Her eyes turned white with black outlining, the expression was yelling 'traitors!' from its very core. "… Well shucks, would you look at that, It's pudding time! You know what they say, you can never miss pudding time!"

* * *

Perfectly timed, Neptune's trip to her basilicom's meeting room ended momentarily with her flashback. She wasted no time making lonely comments and simply gave the door a push.  
"Geez, what took you so long?" An unexpected voice startled the towel girl, causing her to yell in surprise: "N-NEPU?!" And thus, almost losing grip of the towel covering her body.  
She glanced around, trying to identify the source of the voice before her sight landed on most familiar entity sitting on one of the many chairs surrounding the large, conference-dedicated table. "Also, aren't these the documents I gave you to sign, _one month ago_?" Ah, yes… That scolding voice, the emphasis on the end of her speech and also the impatient behaviour…

"N-Noire?!" Neptune's voice and mug seemed more surprised than seeing a talking elephant in the room. Or worse… _An eggplant monster! _  
Turning, she gives the fellow ruler her back, glancing at the purple-bordered and white bodied clock, hanging right above the large portal she walked through.

**7:10.**

"What the Nep?! How did you get here in less than two hours?!" The no-more Purple Heart's shock couldn't be hidden. With HDD not being an option anymore, getting around would become far more challenging. Not to mention that the black Goddess travelled to the opposing side of hers, and in less than two hours!

"Hmph, I got my ways." Noire flicked one of her long pig-tails in pride, a smirk decorating her beautiful features.  
"Wait a moment!" Suddenly, the teaser made a cheeky smile, covering her mouth with a palm. "Nowaru… You weren't hiding in my closet, were you?"  
Knowing exactly where to poke fun, the statement was like an unstable fuel, causing Noire to rocket up from her chair instantly.  
"I-Idiot! Of course not!" A blush livening up her features, Noire pouted. "I just used my private jet!"

"Oookay, calm down tiger." Putting her hands in front of her, as if defending from an incoming hit, Neptune tried to calm down the flustered beast. "Though… Don't we all have those? That doesn't explain how you showered!" A pause followed before Planeptune leader made an awkward smile. "...You showered, right?"

A second jab at her friend follows, deepening the embarrassed redness on her face. "O-Of course I did! I care about my hygiene a lot more than you!" She lets out an irritated breath before crossing her arms, keeping the annoyed face. "Not like I want to tell you or anything, but I modified my jet to travel two times faster than before. I also added a bathroom to it, so I don't have to waste any time." She sits back as her explanation concludes.

A sweat drop found its way down Neptune's awkward mug, the girl's eyebrow twitched a little. "D-Dude… I get all the loner and workaholic character traits better than anyone but… Don't you think a little chilling would do some good to those stiff shoulders of yours?"

"I will calm down once my HDD isn't on the loose somewhere." Wearing back her seriousness, Noire takes another one of the papers creating the mess, scanning it. "Now get yourself dressed… Blanc and Vert should be here in an hour, I'm sure."

"Wooooow… Talk about slave driving…" The addressed lass slumped down.  
"If you don't, I won't help you clean this mess." Playing the ace up her fancy sleeves, the seated Goddess managed to hit her rival's weak spot perfectly.

"That's a deal and a half!" Before anymore could be said, Neptune stormed out the meeting room, leaving the workaholic to her temporary solitude. 'Just as planned.' Noire patted herself on the back mentally.

"All righteroonies, let's see…" With two clothes hangers in hands, Nepgear's older sister found herself in a tiny dilemma… "The Parka is cool and all, buut old and over-used." She looks at the carriage of her other hand. "On the other hand -heh… Literally- we got a dress that's pretty fancy, but something tells me I'll be really mean while wearing it in the future…"

Prolonged humming takes place, Neptune hasn't put much thought in anything this much…! Her brain could steam any moment now!

"Ah well, old is gold!" Tossing back the Jersey dress into the closet, she skilfully puts her Parka on and zips it closed. "Maybe another day, buddy… Maybe another day." While addressing the defeated choice, the parka rocker lost track of her volume. It seemed she forgot about her company in the room.

"Mmm… Sis…?" A sleepy, yet angelic call out livens the chamber, its source none other than the younger deity. "You're up? Wait…- Oh goodness!" Failing to notice that she was on top of the protective railing, Nepgear found herself mere inches from a rude meeting with the floor. "Ow ow ow ow… Ouchie…!" She rubbed her lower back, obviously hurt.

"Oh, morning Jr.! Though…" With a hand to her hip, the CPU scratched her forehead. "How did you manage to fall? That railing is literally made to stop that from happening!" Mixed between honest confusion and sarcasm, the elder sister lent her younger one a helping hand at getting up.

"T-Thank you Neptune… Did I over sleep?!" The gadger lover's vision shifts towards the digital clock on her desk, only to realize how early it was. "Seven in the morning, I see. Seven in the morning… Wait a moment… Seven in the morning?!" Suddenly, her eyes turned white with black outlines. "How are you up so early?!" The Candidate's question was more impressed than questioning, though… That inevitably led to Neptune's eyes turning to thin lines. "Wowzers… I know I over sleep most of the time, but that still hurts, you know?"

"Oh goodness…! Sorry! That's not what I meant!" Flailing her hands left and right, the tech-lover began explaining herself. "I'm just surprised! At least tell me next time. If we both wake up early, we can spend more time together!" As the flailing stopped, her hands stopped at chest-level, clenching into determined fists.

"Hey, it's not like I was planning to be rudely woken up by some weird light…" The separated entity explained. "I'm still surprised you could snooze so peacefully with that thing on…"

As if speaking gibberish, Nepgear found herself in a state of utmost confusion. "Which light?"

"I'd love to explain it all buuut, I got a wild Noire waiting in the meeting room and I don't want a second Pisty on my back, so without further ado…" The girl steps out of the room, leaving only her head to peek in. "Adios, my sweet sister o' mine!"

"Weird light…?" With no answers expected, the sailor outfit dresser tilts her head. "Could it have been a nightmare?"

With clothing on her shoulders now, Neptune traced back to her meeting room. She knew some boring work was waiting for her, but with Noire around, she could do just a small portion of the cleaning and push the rest of the labour at the Tsundere.  
That was what she did best, right?

"All righty Nowaru! You scratch my back and I scratch my own, or whatever they say-" Cheerfully waltzing in, a sight more surprising than Noire doing cosplay unfolded in front of her!

…Okay, Noire's cosplaying wasn't surprising.

"NEPU?!" Shouting her iconic yell, the lazy infant tyke grabbed her bent-over friend's attention.

"Oh, you're back." Dusting off her fancy dress, the first to arrive Planeptune straightened her back. "You took long again, so I cleaned everything." She sneers, only before flicking her hair again "Hmph, no need to thank me."

It was as she claimed. The room was no longer littered with white sheets of information, all the papers stacked up again on top of each other, the pile was put carefully on top of a chair in the corner of the space.

"You know… If you wanted to clean it so badly, you could have just ask…"Attempting to muster the best smile she could, Neptune only ended up with an awkward mug and a twitching eyebrow.

"No, I just figured that even if I waited for you, you'd push most of the work on me. So I decided to take the initiative."

'Shoot!' Echoed in the pudding lover's mind. 'She read me like Vert reads her doujins!'

Speaking of Vert…

"Ah, so someone arrived before me" Like a ghost under the radar, Neptune had no idea the perverted CPU stood right behind her until she bumped into her. "Wonderful, we only need to wait for Blanc."

"NEPU! W-Where are you all coming from!" Turning to face the gamer in shock, the shortest of the group pointed an accusing finger at her ally. "It's a conspiracy! You all have secret rooms in my basilicom, waitting for me to go to bed so you can all stare at me creepily in my most vulnerable state!"

"I would most likely stare at my sweet Nepgear, not you." Smiling, Vert shot down the accusations. "Unfortunately that isn't the case, I simply walked through the door."

"Your guards probably left it open." Noire followed. "Anyone could have walked in, you know?"

It was then that Neptune traced back to the only possible guest before the raven hair…

"Whoops." The mystery to all mysteries was finally solved by Neptune Holmes! "Iiiii forgot to properly lock the door after letting Compa in…" The girl leads a hand to the back of her head.

With the real reason revealed, the earliest bird found herself sorry for blaming the poor guards, a palm slammed to her features.

Meanwhile, Vert had already seated herself in her usual chair, taking out her Green phone with the logo of Leanbox on its back. She turned it sideways, it looked like she had a mobile game to kill time.

"Well then, only Blanny left!" Neptune chirped, before sitting faced to the mature one.

Sighing, Noire headed for a seat next to Vert. She crossed her arms and legs before leading her eyes to the clock on top of the door.

**7:30.**

"Ugh… Why do I feel like she will take the longest…" Irritation rode the workaholic's tone.

For the no-more Black Heart to be wishing she was wrong was an event rarer to happen than finding Diamonds… Or to see Neptune eat an Eggplant happily. But unfortunately her gut-feeling couldn't be any further from the truth as the divine trio was left waiting patiently for the north nation's representative to show up.

**9:00. **

Clacking of shoes liven the corridors, causing the CPUs to perk their heads up in unison…

It _had_ to be her! Histoire floats, and Nepgear was probably tinkering with nifty gadgets in her room by now.

The clapping of heels with the floor got closer and closer, as it reached its climax the three met their gazes with the portal.

"Good morning." Neutral, the awaited Blanc arrives. "No one is late, good."

"You're not one to speak about being late!" Noire was first to voice her irritation "What took you so long?!"

"We agreed to meet at nine, it's your fault if you rushed too early." Remaining neutral, the bookworm delved deeper into the room, approaching a chair next to Neptune before being disrupted by another wave of poison.

"Don't you have any sense of urgency?! We just lost our powers as CPUs!" Obviously stressed, Lastation's goddess got up from her seat, slamming a palm to the large table's surface.

"It seems only you are so stressed, Noire." Vert spoke up, she was cool and collected. "You should take a leaf from Blanc's book and learn to take things easy. Making a fuss out of every slight thing surely won't help our case in the slightest."

"Woo there, Verty poo." The protagonist retorted. "I see the pun you made there and it's so not cool! You at least had a game to spend time on!"

"If you were so bored, why didn't you just go play something?" putting her hat on the table, Blanc took a seat next to the addressed divinity. "This is your basilicom."

"I doubt even Neptune could be able to play in such circumstances." Noire replied instead, her voice not seeming to calm down. "I don't know if you even thought about it for a second, but without your powers you won't be able to stay up all night playing your games." Gazes sharp, her sight changes from the blonde woman to the latest to arrive. "Nor will you be able writing those half-assed novels of yours."

"Freaking bitch!" The foul-mouthed CPU finally loses her cool. She pushes her chair aggressively while getting up, dooming it to fall. "SAY THAT AGAIN YOU FREAKING LONER!"

"You did not bring me all the way to Planeptune just to witness allies on each other's throats, did you?" Vert had an unimpressed set of features on her mug. "You said it yourself, Noire. Wasting any more time on meaningless quarrels will only be going against your own words."

"Not like—"Before the angry deity could finish, Leanbox's leader interrupted. "I'm sure Blanc has a good reason for her to take all this time."

"Tsh." Sheer from yelling again, the novel writer crossed her arms, gulping back the anger. "I do. I decided to look in my book collection for any sort of information that could be of help."

Thankfully, that confirmation was enough to please Noire, She sat down defeated and averted her eyes.

Returning the chair to its natural position, the cold CPU took a seat as well, she seemed to have regained her neutrality.

"Now, let us start this meeting."

The heavy air lifts and our four faithful leaders regained their focus.

"Riiight, so you ladies feeling any weird cliché side-effects?" Neptune initiated.

"No, the headache is gone now." Blanc answered plainly.

"Same, I don't feel anything." A mature voice seconded the former statement.  
Though, the third opinion needed to move on did not concede. Instead the twin-tail rocker remained silent, her gaze unsure.

"Noire?" Vert kindly called out, her voice more suspecting than questioning.

"I can't exactly answer that." Leaning her elbows on the table, the called out for laced her fingers together. "I do feel tired… But only a little. I'm not sure if it's due to not sleeping, or if it has to do with losing HDD…"

Our purple, green and white trio all shared the same flabbergasted reactions. Suddenly, the literary girl spoke up. "So you witnessed the separation happening, is that right?"

Noire nods. "I did."

Slowly, she recollected her thoughts, bypassing all the fatigue clouding her busy mind.

* * *

"All right, that should be it when it comes to paperwork." _I was just about done with my work, so I decided to take a little break._

_Unfortunately though, I had lost track of time and the moment I glanced at my computer clock, it read five and twenty minutes._

"_Oops, I should've paid more attention to the time…" Biting my lip, I found myself in a dilemma. One materialized in a left-over stack of paper on my desk. _

_It was… Extra work! Yeah, just extra piles of paper that needed my signing. _

_But being this late, I had to delay it for tomorrow morning. I gave Uni a promise on not to pull anymore all-nighters due to her worrying about my health. _

_So with my decision, I turned my PC off and headed to my room. _

_It was then that I began to feel extremely light-headed, which was then followed by blurry vision. _

_At first, I thought I might've pushed myself too hard, but then I remembered._

_I spent weeks before without a drop of sleep, this never happened…_

_The chain of events linked further when my body started to glow in black. In the midst of trying to recollect my thoughts, I felt my body tearing itself apart, but I couldn't scream._

_For some reason… _

_My voice got stuck at the bottom of my throat._

_The light grew brighter and brighter till it reached a blinding peak._

_Seconds passed and I was stuck in a loop of pain and confusion; paralyzed. _

_Suddenly…_

_It stopped…_

_Left-overs from the hurt lingered in my head, but I paid no mind to it. _

_My eyes darted open instantly, and I see her in front of me…_

"_H-Huh…" I stumbled back, completely in disbelief. "What's… Going on…?" _

_This can't be real…_

"_Oh my." _

_I must be hallucinating… _

"_Hahahaha! Well what a surprise…" _

_I'm just sleep deprived… _

"_I can't really say that I didn't expect you to be awake this late," _

_This woman can't be…_

"_Noire." _

_Black… _

"…_Heart?" After a long struggle… I let out a voice. _

"_You should see yourself right now. Honestly, I never thought you could ever look so clueless! Ahahahaha!" Her voice loud and judging, I almost feel pressured…_

_Why was I acting so weak…! _

"_What—" _

""_What is going on?!", is that what you were going to say?" She interrupted me nonchalantly… Why was I so freaking petrified! _

"_I'd tell you, but that's really boring and you know best how much I hate boring stuff." _

_She ignored me, almost like a predator bored of their prey, and walked to the window…_

_I knew what she had in mind. _

"_Stop! Where do you think you are going?!" Mustering all my courage, I managed to get a line in. _

"_Isn't it obvious? Outside!" She smiles a confident one, looking at me only by the corner of her sight. _

"_You're not going anywhere before you tell me everything…!" A great sense of irritation overcomes me, but she seems unfazed._

_Casually, Black Heart slid the window open and jumped on its sill, not bothering to look back. "Don't worry, you'll see me again… __**When you fix yourself.**__"_

* * *

"I knew going after a flying entity would be meaningless, so I rushed to my computer." Having finished her part of the story, the tired CPU leaned back on her chair with crossed arms. "I had a feeling whatever happened with me would happen to you all."

"Oookay buddy, slow down…" Neptune tried catching on, obviously confused. "You're saying that she spoke with you? All that my HDD did was act like a moody teenager after you take away their phones and gave me a nasty look before leaving."

"Indeed, I find Neptune's case to be most relatable." The gloved woman added. "Green Heart seemed awfully displeased before flying off."

"Mhm." Blanc's hum of agreement sufficed as a 'Me three' of sorts. "Something is bugging me, though. What did she mean by "When you fix yourself"?"

Her remark like a "Continue" button for the meeting, the last to arrive struck a good point.

"Ahahahahaha!" Suddenly, Neptune burst out in laughter, holding her seemingly hurting stomach.

"What so funny?" Noire asked, unamused.

"Ahah… Ahah… I just realized, your HDD probably left you because she couldn't handle being inside the loneliest of loners anymore!" The purple tyke points her fingers at her friend sarcastically. Of course, the centre of the joke was in no mood for such comments.

"You idiot! This isn't the time for your childish delusions!"

"Wait… Neptune, you may be right." Vert's eyes widened, she clearly reached a conclusion of sorts.

"…What?" Clearly shocked, the former story teller's eyes turned white with black outlines.

"NEPU?!" Clearly, Planeptune's Goddess hadn't expected her teasing to be any productive.

"I understand that it is too early to make any concluding assumptions, but if what Black Heart said tells us anything…" She shifts her narrowed gaze, first to Neptune, then to Blanc and last to Noire. "It would tell us that our HDDs have some sort of grudge against us."

"You can't be serious…" Gritting her teeth, the quietest of the four realized how sever the situation may be.

Gulping back the fear, the basilicom owner put aside her careless nature. "That sounds _pretty_ bad…"

"That's ridiculous." Noire deadpanned confidently. "They can't have a grudge on us, we are them after all!"

Weirdly, the confident divinity didn't seem like herself this meeting. Her comments were hard-headed, unproductive and non-co-operative. The show she was putting on only caused more suspicions to bloom.

"As I said… It's far too early to make conclusions, it was merely a theory, everyone." Crossing her arms below her bust, Vert leaned back as well, looking awfully serious. "In any case, it's about time we discussed a way of retaining our HDDs."

A serious issue barges the room. Deep down, every one of the present knew precisely the path they were heading towards.

"Are we sure we can't just speak to them?" The bookworm suggested, visibly uneasy.

"Unfortunately, I highly doubt such peaceful methods are what they are after." Eyebrows furrowing, the spear wielder seemed certain. "I'm sure you all realize how blood-thirsty and selfish we can become."

"So let me get this straight for a moment… You want us to use the good 'ol force?" Throwing a wild guess, Neptune turned to Vert who, unhappily, nodded. "Yipes… I'm sensing many red flags from this."

"This could turn out catastrophic." With a bit of composure regained, the rapier-user cupped her chin. "Not only are we risking potential death, but also the fact that we have no one who could take our HDDs head on." She pauses, gaining everyone's attention. "And with IF's burns, we are one man down." An troubled exhale coupled her statement.

"Oh come on now girls, we have many dependable friends! I'm sure Marvy, CC2 and Tekken would help us if we asked them!" She smiled determinedly, blindly confident in her friends' abilities. "And if it gets too gloomy, we can just call for more backup-"

"Listen to yourself, Neptune." Suddenly, Blanc cuts the disastrous suggestion shot. "Are you asking to send our friends into a suicidal mission?"

Taken aback, the interrupted members made an awkward smile, eyebrows twitching. "T-That's not what I meant…"

"Even if you didn't, that doesn't erase the risks of this task." Vert followed. "Even if we assume our allies' survival, which is a feat on its own. They will surely suffer from immobilizing injuries. We'll be out of manpower before all four HDDs are dealt with."

Neptune finds herself at a loss for words, clearly defeated.

Burdening air dominates the conference area. Countless sighs and groans could be heard, almost like each of the Goddesses thinking up a plan, then scrapping it with a huff that descended them further into the depths of desperation.

After a prolonged, painful, and excruciating silence. The oldest CPU finally speaks up. "I know of a way we can gain a new ally." She paused, making sure everyone was listening. "The reason I came late was because of an interesting book catching my eye." She started. "I remembered reading once about a summoning spell that required use of shares. I had forgotten about its details, so I spent most of my time looking for it."

Pausing, the no-more White Heart allowed the rest to process her suggestion before getting into the most important of details. "It said something about needing the wills of all four CPUs. The summoning is basically uniting our shares, as well as our minds to summon someone worthy enough."

"I see." Thinking face put on, the Tsundere commented. "So you suggest summoning someone with qualities that we should all decide on? Hm… Not bad." She smiled.

"That sounds almost like a fairy tale… I like it" Vert beamed as well.

"Well, as long as they don't take the main character seat, I'm all in!" The protag of all protags made a thumbs-up.

It was unclear if the four rushed their decision due to desperation, or if they wished to cling to the first reasonable choice presented with.

But one thing was sure…

'Even with this… I fear our path will surely be littered in sweat and blood…'

'But also decorated with unwavering determination.'

'I mean… Even if we're going up against the biggest of baddies…'

'That's simply, the job of a CPU… And as CPUs, we will fulfil it!'  
_They were already a united force!_

"Okay, time for the fun stuff!" Neptune laced her fingers behind her head, she seemed like a kid about to get a new toy. "That book said nothing against summoning someone totally game-breaking, right?"

"Let's think about it level-headedly, someone as strong as our HDDs combined would be the best choice, right?" The cosplayer suggested.

"That wouldn't be possible." Blanc swung the hammer at her rival's train of thought. "Remember that we are limited on shares. Considering that creating a path to other worlds on its own would take a lot of energy to work, we find ourselves left with only so much to decide."

"Aw man!" Neptune pouted.

"In that case, we should be smart with our decision. Whoever we summon must be able to take on all four HDDs without perishing in the process." The busty goddess looked down, enveloped in her thinking. "I highly doubt anyone's ability to take on all our forms head on singlehandedly, even if they came one after another."

"So, we need resilience." Lowee's CPU concluded, earning a nod from the Green ally.

A finger flick echoed through the room, its source the crimson-eyed Goddess. "Regeneration!"

"Hey, if we are building a tank, might as well make them fast and we got ourselves a super tank!" Smiling, Neptune's suggestion did not fall on deaf ears.

"Resilience, Regeneration, Speed…" Blanc revised the choices. "We are being too defensive."

"I agree. If we could push our luck any further, I would focus on something offensive"

"How about magic, then!" Unexpectedly, the spiky haired kid came up with a not-so-random idea, causing the other three to perk their heads. "Think about it! If they knew some cool magical tricks, they wouldn't have to get close and personal! Like they say, best offense is defense! Or something…"

"Its best defense is a good offense. But that aside, that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Bringing her arms below her bust, Noire agreed.

Suddenly, her eyebrows crossed again, she realized an unpleasant fact. "I also think we should let our sisters help out in this."

In unison, Neptune, Vert and Blanc all were caught by surprise. "What!?"

"You cannot deny it, they've been training so long for this exact type of scenario." She averts her eyes, unhappy. "I also am not content with putting Uni in danger, but we have to use everything we have."

With her reasoning, the rest couldn't argue much. Indeed, their younger sisters _were_ CPU candidates, siblings meant to take over the throne once they are ready to become full-fledged CPUs.

"…Fine." The literary girl was first to give the green light, startling the basilicom owner. "As long as we are there to spectate everything, though."

"W-Wow… Blanc, are you sure about pushing your twins of doom off the nest so early?" A sweat drop climbed down the startled tyke's forehead.

"They are not kids anymore." She proudly retorted. "Rom and Ram have grown so much lately, they were really helpful against the Deity of Sin." She smiled, remembering the angels she left back home, but at the same time, frowned mentally… 'What type of older sisters pushes the risks at her younger siblings…' she thought. "I trust them."

"Well if you're sure, I've no problems with letting Nep Jr. swing her sword a little! I mean, she is probably more dependable than me, hehe~…"

"Then that settles it." Vert narrowed her eyes, smiling. "Shall we begin with the summoning?"

Finishing her statement, the busty goddess stood up from her seat, politely setting it back in place afterwards.  
The other three followed as well, though, they were still unsure about how it would all work.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Noire cupped her chin, expressions questioning.

"We're going to hold hands in a circle." Putting her hat on, Blanc informed. "Once our thoughts line up, the portal should form to the person meeting our requirements."

"Makes sense to me." Said Neptune, stepping away from the meeting table towards a large enough empty space in the room. "Well then ladies, let the hand holding begin!" She held out her expectant hands.

"Don't make it weird, geez…" The cosplayer averted her gaze, obviously flustered. She held the shameless deity's left hand while her free palm was clasped by Blanc's. Lastly, Vert linked the circle closed.

The summoning was about to begin.

"Wait a moment… Won't we need our HDDs to do this?" Suddenly, the no-more Purple Heart brought up an unaddressed topic, leading to uneasy stares.

"Only one way to find out." The grey-eyed sanctity paused, remembering the steps she found in the book. "Repeat after me, making the necessary changes, of course."

"In the name of Blanc, Lowee's CPU. I command thee to summon a worthy warrior." She closed her eyes, beginning to glow… It was working.

Gulping, Noire followed. "In the name of Noire, Lastation's CPU, I command thee to summon a dependable hero."

Similarly, Noire glimmered in black, her eyes shut hopingly.

"In the name of Vert, Leanbox's CPU, I command thee summon a courageous champion." The circle illuminated green, only one link was missing.

"In the name of Neptune, the super awesome Planeptune CPU, I command thee to summon a cool, lively fighter and also a great friend!"

The three winced. 'Oh crap…' they all thought.

Silent seconds that felt almost like years passed, thankfully… Neptune glowed in her iconic shine.

'It worked!' they all silently celebrated.

"Keep your focus, everyone." The one to come up with the idea whispered, guiding the rest onto not letting their guard down just yet.

A strong wave of wind formed between them, whirling and swirling before storming above them, creating a portal emitting a rainbow aura.

They all looked up in with expectant, hoping eyes. Their hands held together, clenching tighter and tighter.

* * *

_My world is a ruin._

_I'm at a stand-off with the one I can't defeat._

_My eyes are a blur, my body hurts and my consciousness is about to fade..._

_"What are you fighting for, Mollie?!"_

_I might just die here._

_But I can't give up…! Not yet..._

_"You lost!"_

_I have to keep pulling through…_

_For them._

_"Your allies are dead!"_

_For mom…_

_For Mia…_

_For Jay..._

_"Your loved ones have perished, and your world has bitten dust!"_

_I have to keep going._

_I can't falter, not anymore…_

_One mistake, and their sacrifices will be in vein…_

_"YOU ARE ALL ALONE… LIKE ME!" _

_I need to do my best..._

_But..._

_"Even if you manage to conquer me, do you truly believe you will rebuild this whole world all by yourself?!"_

_I can't..._

_I'm too weak to move... _

_Is this my downfall...? This... can't be... it..._

_I... can't... lose..._

_I… _

_I…_

_"So be it!" _

_"If you desire for death so much then I will gladly grant your wish!" _

_I drag my vision upwards, it's unclear._

_All I can distinguish is my enemy's figure._  
_And…_  
_An orange glimmer in his hand._  
_"DIE!"  
Suddenly, the fiery entity races towards me. _

_Faster…_

_Move…_

_Dodge…_

_I…_

_I can't. _

_It's over…_

_I close my eyes, but the darkness is illuminated by approaching hell flame. _

_I'm coming… Mom…_

_Jay…_

_Mia…_

_I'm sorry, I failed you…_

_…_

_…_

_It's… Taking long…_

_Scared, I open my eyes reluctantly, only to realize that the fiery trident disappeared…_

_Wait… Huh?_

_"What the…" _

_The confusion is apparent on Sable's voice…_

_It was then that I paid attention, to my close surroundings. _

_A breeze of cool air brushed against me vertically._

_I can tell it is coming from below, but below me is only…_

_A dry land, forsaken land…_

_In the midst of my confusion, the ground begins trembling, and light suddenly engulfs me. _

_Blinding, white light…_

_I feel safe…_

_I feel afloat… _

_"What in crimson hell… JUST DIE!" _

_Blind rage overcomes my nemesis, his hands clutch tightly and a swirling fire materializes. _

_Another assault…_

_But all I can do, is watch…_

_The ground below me was reduced to nothing but a void, a void I was doomed to fall into._

_Quickly, I descend into the abyss, powerless and unknowing of my whereabouts._

_Before my vision is fully clouded by the never-ending darkness, I witness a last futile attempt by the world ender. He hurls the tri-head forward, not hesitating for a moment. _

_But…_

_It was too late. _

_All I see is a small window at my collapsing world…_

_And before I could muster any energy to say good-bye…_

_The portal closed._

_Where am I headed…?_

_Will I keep falling endlessly in this unforgiving nightmare? _

_Is this hell…?_

_…No…_

_The pillar carrying me is heading towards a foreseeable exit._

_Funnily enough, I…_

_I wasn't scared…_

_I had welcomed death with open arms, so now…_

_Let whatever happens, happen._

"Here they come."

_My ears faintly pick up on a female's voice…_

_She sounds almost like…_

"Ugh...!"

_A wave of pain vibrates my being. _

_I had fell flat on my back._

"Whoops… We probably should've made the portal a bit lower, ahah…"

"Hey! At least she didn't fall on you, Noire!"

_My eyes only open partially, allowing for a bordered scenery to play before me…_

_"Heavens… She looks badly injured!"_

_Four girls hover their heads over me, clearly concerned. _

_All I can do is weakly keep my eye sheer from closing, until suddenly... _

_"We need to get her treated, now!"_

_That voice again…_

_A girl with… Twin-tails? _

_"M…Mo—"_

_And just like that…_

_The rest of the sounds are reduced to muffled mumbling in my ears._

_My consciousness fades. _

**=-Chapter 1: End-=**


	3. Chapter 2: Empty Heart

**Well, hello again! **

**A new chapter before one month mark, whaaaat!**

**Okay, I actually planned to put this out a lot quicker, but I seemed to have underestimated its length and overestimated my abilities...**

**Oopsies... Gomen...**

**But it's here now, and everything is okay! **

**7000 words... Again, apologies if you find any mistakes as this was revised twice.**

**Sooo.. Yeah! **

**Enjoy~**

**P.S: **_I'm not a sadist I swear._

* * *

_**=-HyperDimension Ne**__**ptunia : Pursuing Perfection-=**_

_**=-Chapter 2: Empty Heart-=**_

"Mmh…"

Ugh… I feel so sore. Almost like I've slept on an iron bench.

Where… Am I?

"And here you see…"

Hmm…? That voice…

Could it be…?

I look up instantly, ignoring the left-overs of slumber on my body.

I'm greeted by an overwhelmingly bright setting. I instantly regret my hasty actions and squint until my eyes adapt to the lighting.

It takes nothing but mere seconds before the pixel-like picture sharpens, creating a much more distinguishable scenery…

I'm in my classroom.

I seem to have slept mid-class… Surprised as I was not scolded.

I look around: the students seem to be focused entirely on the lesson.

Still not fully awake, I creek my neck to face front. Before me was the science teacher, Mr. Sumika.

He possessed crimson red hair and a pair of kind, charming black eyes. Having his usual attire on, it was a blend of a white, buttoned shirt with its long sleeves rolled up to his elbow level, -that was one of his habits, even in cold, rainy days- with a simple red necktie.

Below all that was a pair of brown khakis pants followed by a duo of darker brown classic shoes.

Had I to summarize it, he looked official and strict.

Finally, I regain my full conscious.

I could use a stretch or two, but that would be far more satisfying once class ends.

**Thump. **

A loud clap perks my head up. Easily distinguishable, it was created by the wings of a book clashing together.

"I hope you had a good nap, Miss Puriolét." Mr. Sumika stares dead into my eyes, his sharp gaze provoking a shiver across my body, like an electrical shock just hit me…

I stiffen up and my back straightens. "S-Sorry!" I yell apologetically, a sweat drop forming on my forehead. "I-I stayed up all night yesterday doing homework, so I dozed off before realizing it…"

My ears pick up on muffled chuckling. Produced by my sarcastic class-mates… _"I can't believe she slept mid-class." _

I try my best to maintain an apologetic, honest look. But something was amiss… Mr. Sumika, he…

He wasn't even flinching! His predator-like stare locked with my uncertainty. "S-Sir?"

"Always with your pitiful excuses." His hands drop to his sides before fully turning to face me…

…Is anyone else seeing this?!

"It seems even such a simple task as sitting and focusing is too much for you, how utterly disappointing." Cold, cutting words escape his mouth. All I am able to do is crook an eyebrow and remain silent. Looking around would only grant me view of front-facing mannequins, almost… People didn't move!

"Unfortunately, that only makes us look ever dumber for entrusting you with our lives."

…Wait, what?

"Is that not right, class?" Just as he says that, everyone turned. Their necks snapped violently towards me, producing an almost mechanical sound.

Their gazes were multiplications of his: judging, piercing, unforgiving and grudging.

"H-Huh…?" I can feel my heart beats accelerate, my eyelids raise and my vision focuses on any minute thing. "W-What do you mean…?"

"How did it feel, Miss Puriolét? Enjoyed your slumber? Was it peaceful? A beautiful utopia? A safe haven? A shelter for you to hide at and forget about all your problems? Letting us all suffer?" He steps forward.

I shiver, the first thought that comes to mind is rocketing up and running, running to just anywhere, anywhere but here!

"We trusted you." Everyone nods up in military-like unison.

"We believed in you." Another synchronized acknowledgment.

It was then that I realized, the corners of my eyes were blurry, unclear and foggy…

Tears began forming and I was crippled. My hands stuck to my sides, my legs grew cold and numb. Breathing became hard and uncontrollable.

"You betrayed us, you failed us!"

A sudden, brutal, ear piercing smacking sound vibrates the room, causing me to flinch instantly.

That sounded like…

Trembling, I hesitantly let my lids part ways, only to be greeted with a horrifying scenery.

Everyone's necks were broken, their heads creating a perfect ninety degrees with their bodies.

But… Why were their gazes not wavering…?

Why… did they all look so hateful and despising…?

Without realizing, I let out a muffled weep and my gaze narrowed…

I… I'm scared!

Someone…

Please… Anybody…

M-Make it stop…!

"I believe Miss Puriolét deserves to experience a bit of our suffering, no?" Abruptly, the professor walks down his pedestal, stopping right in front of me. He ignored my suffering… No, he did not care about it in the slightest. He just stares at me, with the same blank eyes.

Unprecedentedly, my peripheral sight picks on a sudden orange illumination which I instinctively recoil from. I could easily feel my whole being vibrating from the strength of each heartbeat.

Everyone… Had fire roaring beneath them…

Everyone… But me.

It ate furiously at their flesh, but they still remained expressionless.

But even then, even when no one said a single thing…

I…

I could hear cries… Weeping… Bawling…

Kids sobbing…

Women screaming…

Men dying…

It's pressing on my mind…

It…

IT HURTS!

"You can't run from this, Miss Puriolét."

I hear the sound of marching, like an army had made a step…

The circle of burning humans grew closer.

T-There is no way out of this.

I'm completely surrounded!

I want to yell! I want to scream! I want to cry and bawl my eyes out!

But the very thought of doing that…

Burns my throat like hell was ignited in it!

"You have to suffer."

His voice like a command; each time he spoke… the pupil inched closer and closer…

"You have to pay for your incompetence!"

The ring of fire closed… I am left sheer from losing my mind. I stared at the circle of acquaintances and they pierced right into my soul…

The smell of their burning flesh irritates my senses.

The heat generated enough to vaporize the tears on my face, I no longer feel wetness on my features, but only sweating from the hell flame.

"BURN!"

* * *

**GASP! **

"HAH… HAH…!"

…

"HAH…"

I NEED AIR!

"HAH… H-Hah… I-I…"

"I'm… Alive?"

In the midst of my attempts to calm myself down, I am struck by an undeniable fact…

My hand, -which was against my chest-, crosses with my vision.

"I'm… Fine?"

A colossal wave of disbelief surges through my mind… No way…

Instinctively, my eyes dart towards a variety of directions: Left, right, up, down. Giving me a general idea of my whereabouts…

I was home…

No… I **am** home…

"Huff… Tsk…" Loudly, I sigh breaths of relief, followed by a bitter sound. "It… was all a nightmare…?"

I smile happily. Joy, content, a melody of alleviation courses my every being…

I have to supress laughter. It will seem rather insane for me to wake up and suddenly burst out in amusement.

"Hehe…~" Okay, maybe a chuckle won't hurt.

Golly, I'm so home!

My room, my fluffy pink bed and sheets, my kitty clock…!

Everything is here…

"7:30 AM… Aha, yes. I'm up rather early today…"

Hum, hum, hummm.~

Wait a moment…

"7:30 AM!? I'm late for school!"

I put my celebrative emotions aside and hop off the bed, I'm doomed!

Hastily, I put my blue school uniform on, and readied my bag. If I chew fast enough, I won't have to run with toast in my mouth!

Quickly, my legs trace the way through the hallways and into the kitchen.

Until suddenly…

"Well, someone's up early for a weekend, hmm?~"

…Huh…?

A most gentle and angelic voice pierces—No… It gently brushes over my ears, and makes its presence kindly known…

This voice…

This voice!

Finally, my gaze locks with the cyan haired woman standing behind the counter. She had her usual brown stripped sweater, her favourite black skirt, and most importantly… An angelic beam illuminated her kind features…

"Good morning, sweetie." She speaks again, each tone of her voice filling me with a complex mixture of emotions…

Fear, sadness, grief…

They were all replaced with joy, surprise, happiness.

"MOM!"

I don't dare hold back, and embrace her tightly…

"M-Mom… You're okay…!"

"W-Wow, what's gotten into you?"

Unable to answer, I immerse myself in her divine warmth. I could feel the corners of my eyes getting wet.

Finally, a caring touch is felt on my back…

"Well… Whatever it is, why wouldn't I be okay?" She moves her head closer to my ear, murmuring something. "I told you, I'll always be there for you."

Patting me twice, I take it as a sign to let go.

I really don't want to, but…

"Tell me, was it a nightmare?" She asked, giving a kitchen chair a pull before showing me to it.

I take a seat and fold my hands.

"Yeah, yeah…" As my mom turned back to her cooking, I begin to retail my story. "Where do I even start…"

Taking a breath, I start. "A single night's sleep felt like years upon years of detailed journey… I had moved on from witnessing the end of the world, the deaths of… you, Mia, and Jay… I witnessed Sable's flames devour the world into literal ashes, and right before I died, I was sucked to another world!"

The sound of sizzling meat storms the room and my sense are captivated by the hypnotizing aroma of cooking. "Mhm~, continue, continue."

"I was dragged through this weird, void-like portal that led to a world far different than ours! Even the general atmosphere felt… Lighter!" I pause moments before the grand finale. "I felt really weak then, so I couldn't notice much. All I could tell was that four gorgeous, divine looking ladies were looking down on me, and the dream ended there…"

Putting a glass of my favourite beverage before me, my parent flashes a smile before turning back. "My… I'd rather call that a nightmare more than a dream."

"I only called that a dream because of what happened after."

"T-There is more?!" Audibly shocked, mother turns towards me, blinking twice.

"Y-Yeah…" Bringing the cup closer, I take a sip. The gentle, silky sweetness pleasures my taste buds and shoos away the drowsiness. The power of strawberry juice!

"Soon after, I had this nightmare where I woke up in school… It started normally, and everything seemed perfectly natural. Until suddenly the teacher started to say really… Awful things to me, and everyone—"

"What kind of stuff?" I was interrupted abruptly by mother's interrogative tone.

"Um… It was something about… Being a failure, and… I-Incompetent." I answer hesitantly. It was no secret that such sharp adjectives cut deep under my skin.

"…Mhm… All righty, please continue~." Returning to her old cheerful self, I followed my caretaker as she turned to the pan and flipped the cooking meat which resulted in another loud blazing sound to swarm the whole house.

"Well… After that, I found myself paralysed while the students kept staring at me blankly like mannequins! Alive, fleshy and actual living mannequins, it makes my hairs stand just thinking about it…" I pause, taking the opportunity to take another drink from my beverage. "To sum it up: everyone just caught on fire and slowly approached me before mercilessly dropping on me with their burning corpses…"

I look down.

Sure, everything was okay. I mean, everything was just a dream, yeah? But looking back at it I…

I was mildly hurt.

"And what do you think about it?" She asked again.

Though… How do I answer something like that?

"Of course I am freaked out! I mean… It only makes me a lot more scared to fail anyone in the future now!" I cross my arms, biting on my lip. "Not like I failed anyone…"

"Now, now, dear. What did I tell you about lying?"

…Pardon…?

I can feel the butterflies in my stomach…

"Um… L-Lying?" I faint idiocy, and question her statement with an awkward smile.

"Yeees, lying."

Everything comes to a dreadful silence.

"You **did** fail us, after all."

…

"There is no use misleading others, sweetie."

She turns…

Turns to face me…

With big crooked smile. Her eyes dripped with blood, creating a couple of crimson red trails on her face…

"Why the terrified mug, A #~0$E?"

Her voice distorts and glitches.

Are my ears playing tricks on me?

Have I gone mad?

The room feels hotter… Scorching even…

"A-Ahh…"

No, no, no, NO…!

The room is catching on fire…

NOT AGAIN…!

I-I can't… Breathe…

N-Not again… P…lease…

"Darling? ~ Are you going to run again?"

S-Stop… Stop using her voice!

"Darliiiing~… Are you going to let my sacrifice be in vain again?"

Suddenly, the same red liquid floods out of her mouth, beginning to create a temporary puddle before ultimately meeting its vaporized ending by the hellish heat….

The same aroma as before lingers again…

The smell, of burned flesh.

…

"Hey… Sweetie? ~" she approaches me. Her knees giving way every now and then, before standing right in front of me…

I can't move…

"I'm going to tell you a really nice secret… Mhmhm~" her hands slowly raise, fingers twitching…

They inch closer, and closer. I can only stare.

The fear within me could easily drive a gladiator into the depths of madness.

"I hate you." Just as she spits poison, my neck senses the hateful grip of her hands…

I… C-Can't…. B-Breathe….

"I hate you, so deeply, my undesired mistake. You have caused me nothing but grief, you have caused me nothing but pain, you have caused me nothing but loss…"

I-It hurts…

P-Please… S-Sto-

"Join me, darling~."

…

"I gave my life for you, so it's only fair that you do the same, hmm?~"

Ah…

Ahah…

"Or do you want to leave your poor mommy all alone in hell…?~" Her grip tightens. I could barely keep my eyes open anymore…

The scenery screams with fire, themed almost like hell. Any sort of air entering my lungs is a putrid mixture of ashes of burnt house proprieties and nauseating, leaking apartment gas.

But even then…

I can't help…

But smile.

"N-No…" I barely shake my hurting head. "I-I don't… want… to… l-leave you alone…"

She laughs menacingly and I giggle in return…

"Take me… with you… mom…"

I don't care…

Not anymore…

I couldn't help anyone back then…

And I can't help anyone now…

Not even myself.

I just…

"Good girl…~ Good girl…~"

Want to see you again…!

"Now… Die for me, sweetheart!~"

* * *

**GASP! **

Sudden awakening befalls a lone girl.

She violently arises from her slumber, almost like a person would after witnessing a mind breaking night terror.

Her hand slammed against her chest, pressing as hard as she could muster while clawing desperately for any atom of air to ease the pain on her void empty lungs.

She wheezed, her eyes reduced to nothing but dots surrounded with red, apparent veins. Cold, freezing sweat dripped from every ounce of her body…

This girl… Looked like she went head to head with death himself, and survived only by luck.

All of a sudden, a gentle sensation invades her back, provoking an instinctive reflex to follow. The once-asleep teenager instantly led a hand behind her, successfully getting a firm grip on whatever caused said sensation.

"G-Goodness… Please calm down!" A soft, child-like voice exclaimed. It's origin visibly startled…

It took no longer than seconds before the hostile entity caught on to her unfriendly actions. She Was holding a young girl, probably in her fourteens or fifteens. She had long, swaying lilac hair with a glorious pair of sightseers of matching colour.

Retracting her hand as quickly as possible, apology dripped from the sorry lass' face. "U-Um…"

"Ouchies…" The lilac haired kid held onto her wrist, shaking it a little before turning her eyes to the concerned companion. "Oh, please don't worry! It doesn't hurt too much."

Gulping, the unknown stranger's worry showed no signs of dwindling. In fact, it was coupled with a bit of trembling.

Nepgear couldn't tell if the girl was cold, or simply that scared. 'It's best if I don't intrude on her private space too much.' She advised herself.

The two were left in a moment of awkwardness. One being too cautious and panicked to form proper words, while the other had to give in-depth thought before striking up a chat.

Finally, the CPU Candidate's lips parted. "You're safe." She straightened her back, beaming a gentle, reassuring smile. "Whatever it is you've been through, you are in safe hands now."

The level-headed teenager pauses. It was necessary to give the nameless girl space to breath and comprehend everything slowly but surely.

Thankfully, her expression softened… A little.

"I know you are probably really confused, but you don't have to rush anything. Please take all the time you need to calm down." Like a caring mother after their child survived a devastating accident, the bastard sword wielder kept her voice low and gentle.

"…" The addressed individual breaks eye-contact, leading her sight to her open palms.

It was then that she noticed… She no longer had her old outfit on. Instead, she had a simple Lilac pyjama of silky and comfortable material.

"S-S-Sorry…" she stuttered.

"Please don't apologize, it's fine!" The tech-genius flailed her hands left and right, almost as if trying to shoo away the stranger's worry.

Hardening her hands into fists, the apologetic figure looked at her companion again, eyes a lot less wary than before. "W-Where… am I…?"

Finally making a proper sentence, the CPU Candidate paid attention to how sore and fatigued the patient sounded. It seemed that the stuttering was mostly caused by a dry and injured throat.

Before answering, the interrogated person took a prepared bottle of water which stood on top of the bedside table, and poured the girl something to clench her critical thirst.

"Please drink this. It's just water, it'll make you feel better." Nepgear did not hand the cup over to the girl. It was left on top of the furniture as to not rush the confused female.

It took the summoned heroine a couple of seconds before she assessed the situation. Her green, emerald irises darted to the glass next to her before hesitantly reaching for it.

Even with her hesitant demeanour, she couldn't hold back on chugging the whole thing down as soon as her lips made contact with life's liquid.

"Thank… You…" She looked aside, her voice undergoing obvious improvements.

"No need to thank me, It's nothing, really." Planeptune's young goddess smiled. "You're in Gamindustri. You were summoned by my sister and the other world leaders."

"Ga…" The mysterious girl frowned, seemingly unable to spell her new world's name.

"Gam-industri." Taking a slower, gentler tone. The CPU's younger sister uttered the name again like a teacher would to a schoolkid.

"Gam… indstree…"The stranger blinked twice. -Unaware of her partial mistake- "W… What's your name… Miss?"

"Oh, my name is Nepgear."

"Nep… Gear." This name easier than the former, the recovering lass was secretly grateful not to embarrass herself again.

"Mhm~ You got it!" Beaming again, the caretaker held herself from patting the girl and giving her a cookie. "What about you? What is your name?"

"A… ah." Suddenly, the asked stranger shook her head. "Mollie… My name is… Mollie Puriolét."

"Golly, that's such a pretty name!" Nepgear nodded. "Okay, nice to meet you, Mollie."

Finally, Mollie put the cup she had been clutching all this time down before resting her back on the bed wall behind her. "So… Why… did your sister summon me?"

"Um…" An awkward set of expressions painted the sailor dress wearing goddess, mustering the best smile she could. "I really think you should rest more before we get to that…" Unexpectedly, that statement earned the sword-wielder a disappointed sigh.

"More work, then…" Young Puriolét frowned. Eyes fixated to the window to her right. "Just tell me… I'm fine…"

"Miss Mollie, please don't try to push yourself too hard…" Her lips pressed together, the angelic deity was awfully concerned and she did not try to hide that. "My sister asked me specifically to let you rest properly before calling everyone—"

Unfortunately, though… "Nepgear… I'm fine. I insist."

A wave of uneasiness brushed over the responsible kid. She knew very well that Mollie was feinting toughness, and that she was anything but what she claimed being. 'It doesn't seem like she will listen to me…'

Defeated, Nepgear got up from her seat, and headed to the door. "As you wish… I'll call them in, then." Wistful, the lilac-haired girl excused herself out.

Desolation Seeped into the room. Filtering through the walls and into the girl's heart. Alongside the many other unwell ideas that spiralled through her mind.

-An idle mind is the devil's workshop-, they say. And that couldn't be any closer to the truth for the pink haired orphan.

"_Do you want to leave your poor mommy all alone…?~" _

A memory echoed in her mind.

"_Die for me, sweetheart!~" _

A hand was led to her neck.

'Take me with you… Mom…'

A tight hold gripped on her tender neck.

And strong did it get.

Stronger,

stronger,

stronger—

**Knock knock.**

She jittered. Instinctively retracting her suicidal palm before realizing what she was mere seconds from doing…

Puriolét gulped down the uneasiness and terror, trying her best at looking normal while crossing fingers that her neck has no marks on it.

"_All righty, we knocked and waited twenty seconds! It's barging time!" _A childish voice could be heard behind the door. Before the room occupier could acknowledge it, the portal had already swooshed open.

And through it came a wild Neptune!

"The sleepyhead had her eyes on a divine being. The girl that just elegantly breezed through the door was beyond describing, her mere presence astonishing! 'This could only be one person!' the girl thought to herself. It's the protag of all protags! Ladies and gentlemen, my name is NEPTU- BLAH!"

Before her heroic entrance could be concluded, a scolding palm slammed against the tyke's head. "Idiot! She is already confused enough as is!"

The older sister-like figure was none other than the elegant Noire. To Mollie, she had her eyes on a comedic scene including a spiky haired child and her twin-tailed older sibling.

More footsteps could be heard behind the room's walls. Before long, a short, brown haired girl walks in. What grabbed young Puriolét's attention was the hat decorating her small head. "I told you to keep her on a leash until we all got in first." Her voice was neutral and expressionless, as always.

"Don't blame me! I firmly asked her to act like anything but herself!" The red eyed goddess huffed, crossing her arms unhappily.

"You could put a leash on my body, but you will never cage my awesomeness!" Still holding to her head, Planeptune's goddess made a final stand!

"My, I guess there goes our opportunity at looking like proper Goddesses for once." A fourth party joins the room. Vert being the last, she looked rather unsatisfied with her shorter companion's actions. "Well then, let us try not to scare our guest any further, shall we?"

The busty goddess quickly glided her astonishing blue orbs to the seated teenager, whose confusion shot through the roof and pierced the heavens.

"Good evening, young one." Vert greeted Mollie, tracing deeper into the room that grew crowded in less than a minute. "Are you feeling all right?"

Under the gentle, caring eyes of Leanbox's CPU. The checked upon orphan found herself lured in by the mature woman's beauty, finding an easier time coming up with words. "Y-Yes… I'm fine."

"That's good, you had us all at the edges of our seats." She smiled. The no-more Green Heart had no intention of making the girl feel scolded.

"Oh, Except for me, I wasn't sitting." Neptune sarcastically followed.

"You sound awfully happy for someone who spent the rest of the day snoring." Noire smirked, leaping opportunity to poke fun at the short girl's daily habits. "Anyways, I think it's about time we introduced ourselves properly."

The workaholic stepped forward, flicking one of her silky locks boastfully before leading her hand to her hip. "I'm Noire. The Goddess of this world's best nation, Lastation."

Her bragging statement was enough to get the white Goddess's icy blood boiling. The calm ocean was now littered with unstable waves and storms. "I'm Blanc. The Goddess of the _real_ best nation in the world, Lowee."

The contrast rivals shot deathly stares at each other. Mollie could have sworn that an electrical current sparked between the two's line of sight.

"Hmmm… These two just never stop bickering, eh?" The shortest of the crew smiled awkwardly before tuning back her smug. "Like I said before getting ruuudely interrupted, I'm Neptune.~ Your cool and super beloved main character. The Goddess of Planeptune which is also the nation you are at in the day and time of now."

Suddenly, Neptune whipped out a large book with lilac cover. Fancy golden writings engraved its front cover, reading "RULES."

The girl placed it on her free hand before flipping onto the first page. She coughed and indexed over the first rule. "All righteroonies, I'll be telling you your rights so listen up!" She made a gesture. The same motion a person would do to fix up their glasses, only… She had none equipped. "YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SI—O-Oh, whoops… Eheh, wrong page." Awkwardly, Neptune excused herself before flipping over the correct leaf. "There we go! 1:1, if you lewd you get stewed! 1:2—"

Before the random mistress could spill anymore info from the suspicious tome, Vert stepped in. "I believe it would be awfully rude to cloud this poor girl's mind with nonsense this early, Neptune." Audibly unhappy, her eyes narrowed. "I'm Vert, the Goddess of Leanbox. You may call me however you please, dear."

The young flower, drowned in a mixture of confusion and fatigue, blinked twice. 'These are… Goddesses?!' sudden realization struck her.

The girl took no more than mere seconds before nodding to herself. "Lady Neptune. Lady Noire. Lady Blanc and… Lady Vert." she smiled faintly. "I'm… Honoured to be in your presence…"

"Dear, there is no need for formalities. You do not have to be so uptight." The gamer retorted gently.

"Well? What about you?" Noire asked, maintaining a neutral eye contact with the pink flower.

"O-Oh… I am Mollie. Mollie Puriolét." Young Puriolét bowed down. Though, it looked almost uncomfortable, since she was seated.

"Ooh, fancy stuff!" Neptune commented with a hint of amazement.

"Um… I come from Tsuki no Hanna, also known as The Moon's Flower."

"The Moon's Flower…?" Blanc's interest was piqued.

"Y-Yes… It's the world that I lived at. A world protected by the blessing of the Pink Moon, before…" Suddenly, she paused. The four could distinguish instability in the teenager's breathing.

"Before… What?" The workaholic asked, half-heartedly hoping her suspicions wouldn't prove as facts.

It was simple for all the four to guess, really: The aura they felt upon opening the dimensional gate, the eerie feeling of vagueness and emptiness, and the beyond critical state young Puriolét was at, at the time of summoning…

All four gulped down anxious.

"…Before it ended." The stranger looked aside before deadpanning.

The four world leaders all recoiled. One half consisting of black and white winced, before looking down with no sufficient consolations to come to mind. While the other fifty percent had their eyes jarred wide open. Disbelief all over them.

"Heavens…! You mean to be the sole survivor of your world?!" Vert asked, not shying away from the concern riding her voice.

Mollie had to supress tears, so she only nodded.

Quietude casted upon the meeting. No one dared say a word.

Nothing could be told.

The CPUs know that their main duty was to protect their nations, their lands, their homes.

But a sudden realization gave them all cold feet… What if, say, they failed to do that…? What if they had to witness the deaths of those dear to them? Their sisters, their oracles, their friends…?

Each CPU could see herself in this poor girl's shoes. Each CPU realized that they wouldn't end up any differently. Each CPU felt that this broken soul could have very well been like them, a cheerful flower raised carefully, blooming with happiness before all of _it_ ended…

"…So, do you… Have any more questions…?" The same hollow sound that brought everyone grief was the one bring life back to the chatter.

The holy quartet threw concerned glances at one another. Moments after, Blanc folded her hands. "What are your powers, if I may ask?" Intelligent as always, the bookworm quickly evaded the tense topic.

Remaining cool and collected, the young flower slid her feet off the bed and sat up on its edge, attempting to stand up. "I… Can show you."

Mollie gave her eyes a shut. She looked to be focusing on something unknown to the others before an unforeseen glimmer illuminated her being. Starting with her hair and swirling delicately around her body. As soon as the light reached her feet, it brightened stronger.

The quartet could sense a faint hint of wind generating from the performer. Before long her hair began floating and her clothes were getting blown by the breeze she emitted. The girl, upon parting her lids open, tried standing up.

Only to fall.

Her abrupt descent was followed by a groan of aching and a dimming in her glow.

Quick, was the reaction of each CPU. Wasting no time before tending to the broken flower benevolently.

"Is everything all right?" Noire promptly questioned, concern her adopted tone.

"I…" Being seated again, young Puriolét dared not look the Goddesses in the eyes. Gaze glued to her thighs. "I can't… Use my powers right now… I'm so sorry."

"Hey, dude, come on, it's not hot in here so don't sweat it!" The pudding lover chirped. "You can use your mouth and we can use our ears so… Use dem words girl!"

Gulping, the foreign girl nodded. "C-Certainly. M-My power is… Mind powers control."

The twin tailed beauty cupped her chin. "Mind powers like… Telekinesis?" she curiously hummed afterwards.

"Oh snep!" The parka rocker drew everyone's attention in. "So you can get the remote control without having to stand up!" She puts her hands on her hips before looking up proudly. "Toldja having magic would be super handy and dandy!"

"Y-Yeah… That's the gist of it…" The young flower continued. "I can use my powers to enhance my bodily powers… I also can read minds and… if focused enough, could control wind and things telekinetically."

With that information, everyone's sights dropped to the ground. Thinking poses intact, they began forming plans. Thinking over possibilities and composing choices.

In the midst of their brain storming, the CPUs failed to notice their guest's hesitance. 'I really should ask why I'm here…' she meekly thought.

"Um… Why did you summon me?" The moonflower suddenly spoke. 'Ah! My mouth moved on its own…!'

"Oh yeah, we did kind of rush into everything without really telling you why you're here in the first place." Noire snapped out of her thinking bubble, eyeing the girl.

"Our apologies, Mollie." The blonde followed. "Long story short. We kindly request of you to retrieve our powers."

Great shock hits the girl like a freight train. Her gaze shoots up, meeting with the speaker's sapphire gems. "You see, we as Goddesses, have multiple forms. The one you see us in right now is our human version. The form we use in our daily lives to conserve energy and also enjoy human-like emotions and activities. It's almost like… A way to relate with humans to some level, if you may." Leanbox's CPU smiled, noticing that her explanation was easy for the stranger to digest. "And then you got our true forms, also known as Hard Drive Divinity or HDD for short. They are also our true selves where we retain our true powers, looks and personalities. Sometimes, the latter change can be drastic, while in other cases it's minute."

The mature woman approached the girl elegantly, seating herself on the bed before folding her gloved hands together and facing the CPUs. "Our dilemma is that… Right now as you are seeing us, we do not posses that true form within us anymore… Our HDDs were separated from us in a rather… Unforeseeable turn of events."

Mollie caught on, that realization struck her as a lightning bolt. She knew where the conversation was headed, and she could only gulp and secretly hope it isn't as she thinks…

"And you see, we expect that, if we do not do something about it soon enough…" The gamer's eyes narrow, her tone taking a serious manner. "Then our HDDs may as well rebel on us, and demand control over the nations that they protected for years on end."

'…No, not again…!' Mollie's mind screamed. 'Is this… Going to be another situation where everyone depends on me…?'

"And that is where you come into play." Vert turned slowly to locked sights with the addressed heroine. "Would you be ever so kind as to help us retain our divine forms, Mollie?" the statement was concluded with a motherly smile.

Unfortunately, though, the asked child clutched her bedtime clothes tightly before shaking her head. "No… I can't…"

In unison, everyone let out a loud 'HUH?!' sound. Surprise an underestimating word to describe their faces. "N-No… You must have summoned the wrong person, I'm sure…!"

"The powers of shares cannot make mistakes." Blanc worryingly retorted, eyebrows furrowed. "It summoned you of all people for a reason."

"Maybe this power made a mistake now! I-I don't know!" Were panic a staining matter, it would dirty all of telekinesis user's being now. "I-I can't fight Goddesses! There… There is no way, I'm not strong enough! I can't even stand up!"

Suddenly, a calming palm lands on the paranoid girl's back, she flinches. "Calm down, Mollie." The seated goddess comforted. "We can clearly see that you are in a rather critical state now and we fully understand that." Like a parent trying to calm their child down, Vert gently rubbed the worried teenager's back. "We also are not tyrants or some merciless deities to send you into a suicidal mission without letting you have a say in the matter."

"You can… Take some days to rest and sort everything out." Noire intervened. Her gaze swayed to the side mid-way her speech. "We also have a lot that needs mulling over, so you shouldn't rush or panic."

"…You're making a mistake…" Meekly, the unconfident figure uttered before frowning.

"You know, maybe all you need is some good food, bad laughs and even worse sleep! Everyone is jittery at first before finding a really heroic quality in the end and realizing they are the choooosen one!" The 4th wall breaker did what she did best!... That is… Breaking the fourth wall…

"Huh…?!"

"Neptune!" The friendless CPU shouted, like a school teacher scolding their misbehaving student. "She is already confused enough, quit it with your fourth wall breaks now!"

"You're being too loud now." Blanc deadpanned. "You're going to cause her even more head pains."

"I agree with Blanc." Finally, the busty pervert stood up after patting the troubled girl caringly. "We shouldn't over stay our welcome. Let us return to our duties and give Mollie the space she needs for now."

The sane suggestion convinced all the CPUs. One after another did they start approaching the door and excusing themselves out politely. Noire wished Mollie to recover quickly, Blanc simply saw herself out and Neptune cheered the girl on and hoped to get to know each other better in the future. The last to remain in was Vert, who, after everyone was no longer in sight, bent down next to Mollie and whispered her something. Something that caused the pink hair's eyes to widen in surprise. "And Mollie… Please don't give up to suicidal thoughts." She calmly inhaled, the sharp Goddess' breaths almost like an ASMR. "You may speak to me whenever you feel unwell and depressed. It would be a great shame if someone as kind and beautiful as you, was to take out their own life."

All the injured lass could do is stare blankly as the level-headed lady excused herself out. 'She… Noticed the marks on my neck….?' She honestly wondered. But then came another realization. She realized how at ease her mind and soul were while the blonde lady comforted her. She realized that those night terrors and her brain, for now, ceased to whisper and inject sanity shattering words.

And as she laid back on her bed, she realized…

That she forgot something.

* * *

Meanwhile, the troubled yonin found their way back to their tactically advanced headquarters!

Neptune's room!

The first to shove the door open was Noire, who stormed in with heavy steps. Said room seemed to already be occupied by none other than Nepgear, who was awfully worried about something.

Not minding the company, the twin-tailed CPU hammered her fist against a wall agitatedly, following with a bitter groan.

"G-Goodness!" The young candidate yelped in surprise.

"Whoa! Watch it girl! These walls aren't Tsundere-proof!" Neptune popped into the room. Her eyes white, outlined with black. Eyebrows furrowed. She adopted the tone of a scolding boss.

"Then would you rather take the hit for your precious walls instead?!" The workaholic put her fist up for the tyke to see. She did not seem to be in a mood for any swings are her pride. She eyed her fellow CPUs with rage.

"Calm yourself, Noire." The green CPU stepped in right after Blanc, who had an unamused mug. "I truly see no reason for you to be so upset. We did all we could. Waiting is inevitable now."

"Hmph! Of course _you_ would say that!" The addressed CPU was dejected. "Of all people we could have summoned, why did it have to be even more problems!"

"Umm… Nowa, you're being super mean right now…" Neptune awkwardly pointed out.

"Heavens, Noire." And Vert's reaction was indifferent. "You saw how awfully troubled that girl is!"

"Uh, yeah. But we already have enough on our plates!" the enraged hard worker stomped the ground below her, earning a flinch from Nepgear. "Why must things always have to take an even worse turn! Now we have to help her, too!"

"I agree." The quietest of the bunch spoke up, her harsh answer like a bullet to the lilac sisters and Vert's conscious. "I'm not denying that Mollie's situation is severely dire, but this is no time for her to appear…"

A sudden gasp followed. Its tone disappointed yet surprised. "Blanc! Noire!" It was Neptune. "Now you really are grinding my gears! You sound nothing like yourselves! What the Nep has gotten into you?" She shifted between the two seriously. Her expression dripping with anger. "Are you forgetting that being a CPU means helping those in need? No matter what?!"

"Not only that." Letting an arm below her bust, the expert spear wielder adopted the same mug as her short friend. "But she is also undergoing the same as we are… No, she is undergoing worse. She saw her entire world being devoured by whoever. If anything, _she_ has all the reasons not to help us."

"STOP IT!" abruptly, the ignored fifth member shouted before standing up firmly. "Your arguing isn't going to help anyone! And it's only going to create more conflict!" she clutched her dress. "I… I was there! I sat next to her when she was asleep, and I heard her talking in her sleep…!"

With everyone's finally calming down and listening, the CPU Candidate looked down with eyes of sadness. "Miss Mollie… I don't know what she was seeing, but she kept muttering things about wanting forgiveness, and that she is very, very scared… But what got me really concerned is…"

Pausing, Nepgear tore her gaze from the floor, and eyed the four. "When she said how badly she wants to die, and join her dead mother…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

The young Goddess' words were like a soul reaper, leaving behind them nothing but traces of shock, fear and quietude

Heavy, crushing guilt dropped on the shoulders of the contrast CPUs. While the others could feel their heart rise to their throats…

No one dared to say a word…

They just couldn't…

It was impossible to.

All that moved was Nepgear, who let out a meek breath before excusing herself out. "I'm going to check on Miss Mollie and keep her company…"

And with that person gone, the world around its leaders halted with heavy, gloomy atmosphere. All that the deities desired was to not lock gazes with each other for as long as it takes for the tension to lift…

* * *

"_Looky looky, what do we have here?" _

"…_U-Um…?" _

"_Ahahaha! You still pack your lunch in a lunchbox? With rabbits in it?! What else? Did your mommy give you a kiss before going school too?" _

"_H-Hey! That's my lunch!" _

"_Strawberry jam? What a little kid!" _

"_G-Give it back!" _

"_Or what? Huh? What are you going to do, miss goodie two shoes?" _

"_HEY! Leave her alone you freak!" _

"_Oh crap… it's that stalker again!" _

"_Call me that one more time! I dare you, squeaker!" _

"_D-Dude, let go!" _

"_Hmph! As I thought, all you do is bully the innocent ones, when you can't even stand up for yourself!" _

"_Y-You'll pay next time!" _

"…"

"_Are you okay, Compa?" _

"_Y-Yeah… I'm fine…" _

"_You really shouldn't let others have their way with you… Stand up for yourself! Those morons only pick on those that they know won't fight back!" _

"_I-I know… But fighting is dangerous!" _

_Sigh… "You never change, do you?" _

"…"

"_Ah well… Guess I'll always be there to protect you, then!" _

…

_Yeah…_

_You always did protect me…_

_You always were by my side…_

_And you never… _

_Showed weakness._

_=-Chapter 2: END-=_

**_To be continued._**


	4. Chapter 3 :Encounter Of Destiny

_**Heeyyyy... W-Why do you all look so angry? **_

_**Okay, look... I know I took three months to make this, okay? But you know, I had some really pressing matters and some weird annoying yada yada writers' block! **_

_**Also, it's kind of hard to write anything when you got school too...! **_

_**G-Goodness, now I sound like an excuses generator... L-Look, think about it like a surprise upload, one day you are just strolling around and your phone beeps with a new chapter! Lot better than a month deadline, eh? EH? **_

_**...*Scratches forehead* A-Anyways, 11000+ Words, and some super spicy lore... **_

_**ENJOY!**_

* * *

_**=-HyperDimension Neptunia : Pursuing Perfection-=**_

_**=-Chapter 3: Encounter Of Destiny-=**_

A pair of uneasy lids pressed together. As a muffled moan was let out, the sleepy eyes came out to play with the inviting sun rays. The green peepers stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, they created an endless train of questions and thoughts. Both good and bad ones.

'Where am I…?'

'Am I dead…?'

'Am I… In hell? Well, no way am I ending up on the other place…'

The girl bandaged head to toe, could only move her sore neck so much before a sudden whisper shook her being. _"Yeah… You always… did protect… me…" _

"Huh? Who's there…?!" The brunette's attempts at sounding threatening only backlashed as her voice was anything but. She narrowed her eyes, secretly annoyed.

The faint murmurs took multiple seconds to process in her sleepy mind, almost like an old computer trying to boot up CyberDimension Neptunia: Four Goddesses Online.

Finally, sound files had been validated.

Her eyes darted instantly towards the origin of a gentle pulling on her blanket, an unexpected sight unveiled before her. Compa had been laying on the side of IF's bed, a tiny sleep bubble emerged from her nose. She had been snoring angelically, visibly exhausted.

The Katar wielder had no idea for how long she's been out. She didn't know how long had the nurse been taking care of her for. A peek at her body would tell that her bandages were new and clean, probably changed recently.

"Heh…" A chuckle escaped the wounded Maker, followed by a subtle snicker. "No way am I in hell if _she _is here…"

IF leaned closer, trying to get a closer look at her friend's sleepy face. And as the nurse's peaceful breaths brushed against her face…

**POP!**

The bubble burst. Followed by the instantaneous exposure of a dashing pair of eyes. "Huh…?"

The first thing that greeted said sightseers was the curious mug of the brunette.

…

"AH!" Compa yelled before straightening up.

"AH!" IF also, screamed.

"Huh…? Iffy? You're awake!" With a shift faster than her awakening, the awakened beauty turned from surprise to joy. Spreading her arms open and ensnaring her childhood friend into a warm, comforting trap.

"AAAAH!" This time louder, the brunette's cry had a shade of pain added to it. Her hands half-clutched.

A peek at the patient's aching face delivered the point to the hugger. She quickly let go of her friend before brandishing an apologetic expression. "Oops! Sorry Iffy!"

"HAH…!" IF sucked air through her teeth, awaiting the lingering ache to settle off.

And soon enough, the burn marks on her delicate skin stopped pulsing with memories of inferno. Simultaneous with the mummy's shoulders and body no longer tensing and her hands landing back on the bed. She huffed. "It's… Fine." The words were hardly pushed out.

With things calming down, a lot of questions began to cloud the hurt one's mind. "How long have I been out?" was one of them.

Compa led an index to her chin, looking up in wonder. "Um… Two days, almost."

"Two days…" She echoed; gaze locked to her bandaged palms. The sight of her mummified body a painful reminder of her infernal conclusion. She wished to clench her fists, throw on her coat and breeze through the streets as Gamindustri's one and only wind walker. But her body begged to differ, judging by the lurking sense of burn, she wouldn't move anytime soon.

She sighed.

"Did I miss anything?" The brunette asked, eyes fixated to her friend's.

"Not really… Umm." Still not fully awake, the asked girl rubbed her eye. "Only… Ah, I remember! Nep-Nep and the other CPUs summoned a new girl!" She suddenly perked up. A smile on her features that of a student's after recalling a critical formula in a physics exam.

"Huh? A new girl?" With a crooked eyebrow, a question mark appeared on IF's thinking bubble.

The girl's query was answered by a quick nod from the caretaker, followed by a cheerful 'Mhm!'.

Contrary to the nurse's upbeat behaviour, the agent recoiled back, eyes jarred open. "What? Why?!"

"Well… They seem to need her help." Compa was quick to regain a normal attitude, making sure to calm the hasty girl down.

"Why? Did something happen? Is Magic rampaging out?!"

"Well… It's not Magic." The nurse eased a part of her friend's concerns. "Buuut…"

"_Buuuuut?_" IF hurried her friend's answers.

"Well… Nep-Nep and the others got separated from their HDDs." The caretaker delivered with an empty smile. A smile that made the mood even more awkward when compared to the look of disbelief her friend brandished.

"…Compa, this really isn't the time for jokes…" With a huff, the peachette's reports were shrugged like a person would when finding out they were participating in a hidden camera show or a prank. "I'd understand if you said nothing happened and that's it…"

"Um… Iffy?" An uneasy tone waves the castle, the nurse's usual cheerful atmosphere no longer present. "I wasn't kidding."

It's not like IF truly thought her childhood friend was pulling her leg just for fun. She just did not want to believe her.

She didn't want to accept the fact that the same Goddesses she used to fight with, were now her enemies.

She didn't know want to acknowledge that the peace she once enjoyed before Magic appeared, would soon escalate to a storm of hurt.

She didn't want to think about the possibility… That she was replaced.

"But, how?"

"I'm not really sure myself…" The cluelessness filtered from Compa's voice, to her expression and uncertainty. "All I know is that they are planning to get them back, once they locate them… And, once the new girl wakes up."

If you thought things couldn't get any more confusing for injured guild worker, then you were wholly wrong. Was bewilderment a liquid, it'd be dripping off her face and wetting the whole mattress she laid on. "Wakes up?"

"Um… Ah!" An upbeat tone followed suit, synchronized perfectly with the hospital worker perking up. Above her head was a tiny lamp that lit up. She had an idea. "Let me just tell you everything.

"_When I arrived here two days ago, I was led by Histoire to your room, because I was super concerned, and only got Nep-Nep's message when I was super buried in work at the hospital._

"_But when I arrived, Nep-Nep looked really tired. I can remember her having baggies below her eyes which was weird because… She's sleeping most of the time! _

"_After an hour or two, I had changed your bandages and even put new flowers in your pot, so I just made sure everything was fine. But in the midst of doing so, I heard a really strong wind coming from down stairs. So, I decided to check it. _

"_When I got down, I heard a bit of chattering coming from the meeting room. At first, I thought it was the reason Nep-Nep was up so early, that she had a meeting with the other Goddesses, but when I peeked inside, I found all the CPUs and Histoire looking over a passed-out girl. She had pink hair and looked badly hurt._

"_I asked everyone what happened, and they hurried me to help get the girl settled carefully. When we got her to an empty room, Lady Noire explained to me that they summoned her from another world, but they didn't expect someone so hurt to come out…_

"_Everyone looked awfully concerned, and asked if I could help her feel better. Of course, I agreed! A nurse's job is to help everyone in need!_

"_But when I brought some bandages and alcohol, something really weird happened… The cuts and bruises she had started to heal and disappear super quickly! Almost like you'd see in an Anime! _

"_When I told the others, they all concluded that it had to do with a "requirement" they set up… I didn't really understand that._

"_After that, lady Noire suggested to take the girl's clothes and get them fixed, because they were all cut and ragged up. Nep-Nep asked Ge-Ge to remain next to her until she wakes up, while Histoire asked me to keep watch over you."_

IF was speechless. A blend of astonishment and uncertainty rendered her ability to communicate useless. To think she missed all this in the span of two days only…

She sighed. "Then I guess we can't even talk to her." A defeated smile followed.

The brunette was too focused on her thinking to pay attention to the subtle changes in her friend's expressions. She slowly laced her fingers, her face dressed up in faint gloom. "Um… Iffy?" she caught her friend's attention. "Maybe… You should try to rest and not push yourself this time?"

Blinking twice, IF wondered. "Hm? What do you mean?" She had hoped with all her might that the syringe-wielder did not mean what she thought she did.

"Well… You seem really hurt and, it might take really, really long for you to recover." The nurse started. "But also, this is really different. We're used to dealing with monsters in quests or even big baddies like Arfoire and The Four Felons, but…" her doubts were accompanied by subtly clenching her skirt. "But this time we don't have the CPUs with us! But the CPUs that used to help us are the big baddies now."

"C-Compa… You can't be asking me to…" the mummified girl stopped right before the big reveal, shooting her friend concerned looks.

"I'm not asking you to stop being a cool guild agent forever! I… Just don't want you to get mixed up in all this, and to just take a break for once." The concern on Compa's voice spelt itself out.

Of course, she wasn't to blame. The party medic never fancied witnessing the death of others, be it in her career or in battle. She was the last figure that countless of souls saw before succumbing to the reaching claws of death. She was the bad news bearer, witnessing countless of loved ones tear up at the depriving words of her angelic tone.

But she adapted.

She readjusted herself thanks to all her friends, her teammates—No… Her family. The thought that no matter how hectic her days were, she will always return home to find IF waiting for her. Maybe Neptune would make a surprise visit, that always brightened up the two Maker's evenings even more.

But…

When a gun was pointed at her loved ones, when death lingered shamelessly over-head one of her dearest, when mindless raging flames reached out to grab her childhood companion… She got cold feet. She got shaky hands. She lost all colour in her features.

It is true that she couldn't abandon her job. Not when so many people needed her help.

But.

Compa could only hide her private life away from the professional field so long. She had lost count of how many times she almost tripped and fell, of how many times she ended up staring into the nothingness before injecting a patient with their cure, of how many times she mentioned the Katar wielder's name while prescribing something to a patient.

She understood better than anyone that the guildswoman had the skills to pay the bills more than anyone. IF was not the most relied on for no reason. She also understood the relentless risks that laid bare and unseen in every green and cranny.

_[I'm sure Iffy will be fine.] _she always told herself. And admittedly, it worked. At least… Until now.

But now it's different.

Iffy won't be fine, because she isn't right now. And if she was to let her off the hook this time, and allowed her to join in these… Suicidal missions, then the next time she'd be staring at her will be a lifeless corpse.

And as a nurse… 'I must always make sure of everyone's safety!'

"Compa, I know you're worried, but—" A failed attempt was the guild veteran's when trying to shrug her friend's worries off. She was interrupted by her friend suddenly standing up.

"No buts missy!" The interfering girl strictly ordered. Her expressions no longer gentle and sweet, but angry and scolding. "You're lucky not to be bandaged to the bed, so no retorts! You must listen to the advice of your nurse!"

"C-Compa, calm down..." IF defensively put her hands up, flaunting a weak smile. One that had no effect on the caretaker. "Aren't you being a bit too hasty."

"It's not hasty if I'm trying to keep you safe!" the girl did not back down. She channelled the fear that burdened her for relentless hours into being protective. It didn't matter to her if anyone considered it being "too-careful". "In fact, you're the one being hasty now by wanting to throw yourself at danger, when you can't even move!"

"Well, of course I need to get up! They will need me if things are as bad as you say!" Unknowing to her, the veteran accidentally pushed the wrong button. Her answer, though delivered carelessly with a hint of stubbornness to it, struck Compa fiercer than a flaming thrust to the heart…

"BUT I NEED YOU TOO!" She finally broke. The barriers said girl made for herself crumbled as quickly as she made them, revealing her true feelings…

With teary eyes, the girl spoke. "Don't I matter too? Don't _you_ matter?! Why are you always the first person to take the most dangerous of quests head on? Why are you always the first person to deal with all the stressful and hard tasks?

"Why do you always put others in front of you? Always getting so bruised and beat up…

"It's almost like… You don't care about yourself. Nor the feeling of those who care and want you to be safe and happy." The girl looked down and clenched her skirt again. Her every inhale cut by an interruptive sob. The peachette rubbed her eyes, wiping off the saddening tears that rivered across her cheeks.

She was done. Compa had no more to say. The barrage of emotions she just delivered was what her walls always kept behind them, always hid in the deep shadows. The syringe wielder couldn't tell if she always kept that hidden just to use as a final resort in case the Katar wielder decided to be extra-hard headed, or if she simply feared for IF to consider her an obstacle… A hinderance.

The medic, too busy with her thoughts, her tears and her sobbing, failed to notice a friendly gesture approaching. Until suddenly she felt a nice touch on her shoulder.

Looking up, the girl's red, teary eyes laid sight to her friend adopting a set of kind, yet regretful expressions. IF's smile told more than a singular emotion: Regret, apology, acceptance, defeat…

And for the occasion, they all sufficed.

How could she have been so blinded? By the never-ending list of quests and basilicom errands she ran, by being the most reliable human in all of Planeptune, by being one of the best intel collectors that ever have been… All that brandished a golden taint of glory and success. If a kid were to see her on TV, they would probably tell their mothers that they want to grow up to be like her. But within the unseen crannies, the unheard tones, the untouched cracks laid hundreds of worsts…

IF never realized that she became the worst at choosing between herself and her loved ones, or her endless list of quests.

The worst at telling when it was time for rest, and when it was for working. 'Geez, I'm surprised Nep haven't made any jokes about me being like Lady Noire…'

"I'm sorry, Compa." She looked her friend dead in the eyes. Movement was quite hard in her state, but nothing too crippling. "I didn't mean to cause you any concerns. It's just… Ever since the events with ASIC, I've been trying my best to avoid the same happening again. To get stronger and make sure Nep and the other CPUs aren't the only ones doing the hard work."

With a sad, unsatisfied frown, IF gave light to her hidden motives. "I don't want to lose even more use in the team… I don't want to stare at the backs of the CPUs and their sisters dealing with everything while I just do side-work…

"But… I guess I'm being too rash. No use becoming stronger if I'll die in the process."

"Y-You really won't try to push yourself this time?" Between her dwindling whimpers, the peach-eyed damsel asked with a hinge relief in her response.

The query answered by a quick nod, "Mhm." IF retracted her arm and laid down on her bed. Her eyes spectating the chiselled ceiling. "Not like there is much I can do right now… Might as well see how things unfold."

Unfortunately, it was yet for the atmosphere to lighten up already. Though Compa wanted to believe the brunette's words and take them as facts. She wanted to wipe off her tears and smile happily at the thought of her friend being safe. She _desired_ to move on and forget about all of her concerns.

But…

She could recall her friend saying almost the exact same words before.

Back when ASIC was still on the loose, the iconic duo would barely get a drop of sleep, if ever. Chaos had become a part of their daily life, and so did the need to supress it. And though the peachette lectured her friend constantly about the need to take it easy every once in a while and rest, she herself never followed with that, and most likely, that was more of a reason for IF to not listen to her friend, to try and sweet talk her concerns away with empty promises that would be broken as soon as another CPU sabotaging operation broke out.

'But… If I don't rest too, she will probably do the same, and start pushing herself again.' Troubled, the girl hummed audibly. She seemed lost in thought, her eyes blankly admiring the floor.

"Compa?" The leaf bow-rocker inquisitively called out. After blinking twice, she began sitting up, but only to be held in place by the same person whose name she uttered. And though the warrior's body was still recovering, she didn't feel any pain from the damsel's hold. Her hands were gentle as a feather.

"Iffy…" Compa looked IF dead in the eyes, the seriousness in her expression giving the mummy cold feet, the lack of chirpiness in her voice triggering a chain of goose-bumps down her spine. "Do you promise to take it easy, and not push yourself for realises this time...?"

Under the pleading eyes of her friend, the concerned aura of the nurse, the heavy atmosphere still present after the two's argument, and the screaming brew of fatigue and soreness. The Idea Factory could only nod before answering hesitantly. "Y-Yeah, of course."

Unexpectedly, the brunette was not sparred of the analytical glares laid upon her. A couple of seconds that felt like ages passed, as the nurse did nothing but narrow her eyes sharply. She spectated her teammate's eyes in search of any hints of her lying, almost like a staring contest that her life depended on. IF may have been an expert at deceiving or upholding a firm front for everyone. But years stacked upon years of knowledge and being familiar with each other before memory could even serve allowed for the hospital worker to know her friend's weak spot. The buttons she could push to obtain a truthful answer when the need arises.

And for what the guild agent was worth, at heart she remained a gentle girl with gentler emotions. A lass whose truth could be read like a well-detailed book put up the free shelves of a library in Lowee. And the gates to this rich novel were her hues of forest and prosperity. Her emerald gems.

'…'

Suddenly, Compa pulled back carefully. She did not want to cause any aching to the injured female's skin. What followed was a quick shift from attitude similar to that of a mother attempting to get answers out of her child, to a merry schoolgirl about to get cake. She clapped her hands together and beamed at the chunni, brightening the room and blinding her in the process. "Yay!" She chirped. "That means we can have a ton of fun together!"

""Together"?" IF queried with a crooked eyebrow.

"Mhm!~ I will be taking a break too!" The girl took a seat again. She casually moved aside the hair strands that dropped on her face after the energy outburst she had. "The workers at the hospital always tell me to take it easy for once, and after the hard work I did two days ago, they gave me a holiday! So, I will be able to take care of you all the time!"

"Oh, that's nice to hear." With a slight smile, IF laid back, this time with no intention of getting up for a long while.

Before a thick coat of silence could cover the two, the sharp lass turned to her friend, maintaining the curve in her mouth. "Hey, Compa?" she gently called out.

"Yes Iffy?"

"…Thank you."

* * *

A twin of polite knocks taped against a fancy wooden door. What followed was a gentle callout from Nepgear. "Miss Mollie?"

Suddenly, the girl's ears adapted to the hallways' quietude, contrast to the rowdiness of the sisters' room and thus allowing her to catch muffled tones of a distressed female, with a bit of shuffling in the background.

After excusing herself, Nepgear twisted the door knob and stepped into the room. What laid in front of her was the sight of a messy room, from where she stood to where Mollie laid. A track of chaos in mere seconds came to be, starting from the pink, easy blanket that laid before the CPU's feet, followed by the chair she once sat on being dropped, resting lifelessly on its back, whether it was by will or not did not matter to the world.

The closet which laid across the large bed was jarred, its guts spilling out like an explosion had set off in side of it. Of course, that on its own put the purplette in a state of confusion. The blanket was easily explainable by the pinkette throwing a tantrum. One which was yet to be delved into, but the closet was too far from the damsel's reaches.

Certainly, that was a question noted on the Candidate's mind-pad. She had to find the answer, but right now, her eyes shifted from an item to another. Landing her hues of Amethyst to land on the same person she came to check on…

Mollie had been on four. Searching below her pillow, before quickly, and without paying any mind to the visitor, peeking her head cutely under the bed. What followed was another grunt, this one a lot clearer to the ears of the tech-genius than the one she eavesdropped on behind the locked gates of this room.

"W-Where is it…!?" Finally uttering a word, the foreign girl looked up. She was still laying on her front, not bothering to look up. "Where… Is it…?"

"Um, what are you looking for, Miss Mollie?" Bending down, the deity asked. She began to fold the floored cover neatly to an almost perfect square, before letting it rest on her forearm. She then proceeded to sit the chair up to its natural state.

"My Memory Capsule…" Her voice longing, Mollie sounded dejected, unhappy, desperate. She was a kid that had just lost its favourite Teddy bear, struggling to sleep at night amidst the howling winds and roaring thunders.

"A Memory Capsule?" Dusting her dress lightly, the tech geek tilted her head. Her interest was visibly peaked. "What is that?"

Abruptly, the newcomer pushed herself up, causing most of her hair to drop on her uneasy features. She had furrowed brows, with a slight press in her lips. "Oh, come on! It's a memory ca…-" Suddenly, she paused. Her words got stuck half-way, almost causing her to choke on them. She quickly realized that whoever she was speaking to was not someone familiar with her world's tech, nor was it someone she could blame for not understanding. All this played a role in fluctuating Mollie's features to a blend of apology and sadness. "O-Oh… Sorry! I didn't mean to sound rude…"

"Oh, please don't apologize, it's fine!" At this rate, Jr. knew that the same would repeat, that the two will be stuck in this apology cycle until someone barges through the door. And thus, she took the liberty to move over to the closet, and organize all the components back in place. That also gave her the chance to ask the inevitable. "But what is a Memory Capsule?"

"Well…" Defeated, the asked individual sat up properly. "It's this… Golden looking ball. That has a lot of nifty lines and engravings on it. They are similar to what you'd see drawn on a circuit board." Meanwhile the girl explained, she tried to mimic the shape of the item, as well as the multiple illustrations she described.

Unfortunately, what followed was the Planeptune candidate cupping her chin, before shaking her head negatively. "No… I don't think I've seen such a thing." As soon as she finished adjusting the mess, Nepgear walked next to young Puriolét again. She booked her gentle butt a meeting with the chair's surface.

"Fine, then what happened to my clothes…!? It was in my pocket, so please don't tell me you dumped them…" For the first time in ever, the purplette caught a spark of hope in the summoned-one's eyes. Ever since her awakening, the girl would only be gazing down at her thighs with a look inviting death. Fortunately, though, for what she was asking, Nepgear wouldn't have to break her hopes down, because…

"Oh, no actually we didn't!" With a bit of recollecting, the younger goddess matched the enthusiasm of her companion. She led her clenched hands to her chest and sprinkled happiness on her words. "I remember lady Noire wanted to personally repair and clean your clothes, since she felt bad."

"Haah…" Letting out relief, the girl laid back on the bed, star-shaped. She gave her eyes a quick shut. "Then there is still a chance… Thank goodness."

A couple seconds of silence were well deserved. The responsible youngster allowed for the moment of peace be enjoyed before her mental notes beeped like a phone notification. And before she could choke back the queries, her lips had already parted. "Um, Miss Mollie?"

"Uhuh…?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, what is it?" Just as young Puriolét said that, she gave light to her longing, exhausted irises.

"How did you get to the closet? I mean… Can you walk already?" Fearing to sound rude mid-sentence, she followed with another question that indicated her concerns.

"Not… Really, no." Bringing her body up a little, Mollie rested on her left elbow. She brought her right arm before her sight, staring at the back of her hand. "I just used my powers. It's just that, because I don't have my special gloves on, it causes them to become… Unstable, to say the least."

"Unstable?" A head tilt sufficed as a request for the pinkette to continue.

"Well… Just think about it this way: whatever I touch with my powers, explodes." The girl slowly drew her right hand closer to her left one. And as soon as they touched, she flicked with the latter, representing an instant blast. "And my gloves were given to me by my mother… And… They just kind of…"

The wounds were still fresh, so fresh that a gentle breeze would cause a wave of excruciating pain to swarm from them. Such was the case with the new damsel in the Basilicom. It was yet for her to mention those she held so dear to her heart without a prickling sensation originating from her heart and getting pumped through her blood cycle. All that resulted in the girl having to face a current of throbbing pain, in both mind and soul whenever she mentioned or even thought about her loved ones.

And in the midst of all that, the young flower paid no attention to her vision growing blurrier. Or to how firmly she was holding onto the bedsheets below her.

With a sigh, she looked aside after successfully repressing her emotional flood. "They just help me control my powers… Is all."

"I... See." But as a spectator, Nepgear saw it all. Every minute alteration was noticed, and thus noted. Granted the girl had no words capable of truly comforting the teenager, nor was she able to retrieve the dead.

All one could do was provide an appropriate company.

"You know… I used to be like you." After seeing a reflection of herself on Mollie, the CPU candidate initiated. Her hands folded together; her eyes kind yet truthful. "Not long before you appeared, Gamindustri was faced with a really big threat called ASIC, and for some time, they were winning. We were sent by Histoire, me and the four Goddesses to fight this threat, and we lost…

"What followed was us being held captive for three years. For three years, Gamindustri had to endure all of the criminal acts done by ASIC: Corruption, piracy and forcing the citizens to revere a wrong deity…"

A pause ensued. The purplette gave her friend a moment to process all information she just heard, to ask any questions that could come to mind.

And that was the case. "You…? Goddesses…? Actually, lost…?!" Puriolét was in disbelief, an obvious one.

"Mhm. To the Deity of Sin. A powerful being that desires nothing but to eat this world whole and drown it in darkness."

"I… See. P-Please continue." Her interest was caught like a fish in a puddle. The pinkette, though unsure of the reality of this story, craved to learn more about it. She sat up properly, and inched a bit closer to the story teller.

"Well, thankfully I was saved by my childhood friends. IF and Compa after being sent by Histoire. But even then, I was really undependable… In fact, I could tell by the way Iffy looked at me that she was really unhappy to have saved me only, or out of all of them.

"But they still stood by my side, even if I wasn't the strongest back then. IF knew when to scold me and push me forward, and Compa knew when to cheer for me and help me whenever I needed aid. And after some time, I managed to meet with more friends. The other CPU Candidates like me."

"Wait, so… You aren't a CPU, but only a candidate? I don't understand…" Politely, the telekinetic lass raised a finger and asked.

"Yes, that's it!" A smile spread on the techie's face, almost praising the girl's smarts. "As the others may have explained, each nation has a CPU. But also, a Candidate. In case of Planeptune and Lastation at least…" Nepgear smiled innocently after a reminder of Vert's everlasting dilemma. "Lady Vert doesn't have a candidate, whereas Lady Blanc has twin Candidates."

Mollie leaned on her palm and hummed the story to continue. Though slightly, the traces of depression and stress could be seen put aside. She was honestly enjoying this story, and though it sounded like a fairy tale you'd read online or watch on TV, it did not differ that much from her home land.

"But even if we weren't as strong as our older sisters, we were still together. And thanks to them I managed to find my determination and will back!" The sailor dress rocker too, got carried away in her comforting session. In fact, it wasn't that anymore, but an honest-to-goodness story time. "In the end, we managed to save our sisters and defeat the Deity of Sin!"

"Whoa…" Star-eyed, the schoolgirl uttered in amazement. "That's so cool!"

"Ehehe~ Thank you." A gentle palm was raised to her mouth, suppressing the giggle. The caretaker was blushing slightly. "I no longer care about how I used to be, or my past mistakes. I'm proud of what I've done, and hope to accomplish even greater in the future."

Finally, the message had reached.

It struck Mollie like a lightning bolt… They were similar.

Unlike the unlucky lass, this young goddess was fortunate enough to save her world from decaying, to pull it away from harm's way, and save all her friends in the process…

Sure, a bit of jealousy snuck its way towards Puriolét's heart. That was for sure. It wasn't an easy pill to swallow, having witnessed all the pain and horror she had to endure and fight through, only for all that to be rendered useless.

But a big part of her hoped to be joyous, and appreciate that this dimension was yet to meet its end yet. Maybe faith had something prepared for the girl? Maybe this is the result of all the sacrifices made for her sake.

Her mother, Alexandra Puriolét, had always been wiser than she looked. And oftentimes Mollie found herself not understanding a word she uttered when it came to appreciating one's situation. Even if that situation looks as grim as the reaper himself.

_[Whatever happens… Always remember, that you are worth it.] _

A memory gently cooed her. It penetrated all of her walls: Self-doubt, self-hate, depression, defeat. Like a gentle touch on a wound.

The daughter suddenly let out a sigh. _'I guess I'll have to keep going…' _

"By the way, Miss Mollie?" Suddenly, the responsible candidate leaned back on her chair, a curious index led to her smooth chin. "What are your powers? I never asked."

"Mmm, well, I guess you can call it Telekinesis." She answered after rolling her eyes up to the ceiling. The orphan always had trouble explaining her powers to others. "But I can also control everything in my body, and also wind and… L-Look, it's a lot. Trying to explain it all would take ages."

"Oh! Well, at least that explains how you managed to get to the closet."

"Yeah… Sorry for the mess." Her apology was accompanied by her awkwardly rubbing her forehead.

"It's fine." A quick smile, and that topic was concluded with high spirits.

But what followed was a lot more challenging… A lot more demanding…

Nepgear did not wish to put her new friend in a tight situation, but now, she couldn't wait.

A destiny changing question had to be asked.

A shadow cast atop her vision, the girl sat up properly again and cupped her chin. "Miss Mollie…"

'Uh oh…' The called-out girl got frightened. What's with the sudden shift of behaviour?! "Y-Yeah?"

"Please answer truthfully…" The girl inched ever so slowly to the interrogated. Her aura grim almost suffocating the poor girl.

…

"…What cake flavour do you like most!?"

"E-Eh?!" Mollie exclaimed after surprise hit her like a freight train. She could swear the room had gotten colder, or that air grew heavier the closer the Goddess got to her. And yet the matter was over what cake she likes most!? "W-Well… Chocolate, preferably dark. Pudding and strawberry."

"Oooh! That sounds almost like lady Noire and Neptune!" Nepgear clasped her hands together in joy. "What about vanilla?"

"Mmm, I don't really like it. I find its taste overrated, haha."

"Hey, don't be mean to the poor vanilla!" Sarcastically, the young deity poked her friend's shoulder.

"I-It's not like I hate vanilla! In fact, vanilla flowers are really, really pretty! And they smell so refreshing!" In defense of herself, young Puriolét told a neat flower trivia.

"Well, I also like Pudding and lemon, but the first one is mostly inherited, hehe…" Nepgear told her own preferences, following the latter with an awkward smile. One that caught the teenager's attention.

"Inherited? Wait, so does Lady Neptune like Pudding?" She asked with a tilted head.

"I think it's a tiny bit more than liking…"

* * *

_**NOM!**_

"Mmmm!" Satisfaction an understatement for Neptune's mood, as the creamy, gentle sweetness sparked her taste buds. The cold, refreshing temperature… The delicate dessert could not be described any better than it being pure ecstasy to the short CPU. "My HDD may betray me, but pudding will always remain loyal!"

What followed the happy girl's statement was a sigh. "Even in a situation like this, you can just sit down and eat pudding? I'm still wondering why you aren't married to it." Noire teased with a hint of annoyance. Her crimson sharp irises peeked up from her personal, black coated phone.

"Mmmmmmm!" unlike the former murmurs of joy, this time had a blatant irritation flared into the deity's sound. She took the spoon crippling her ability to communicate soon after. "And I always wonder why you aren't married to your work! Also, if pudding was a handsome guy, who knows!~"

The ravenette did not bother answering. She simply grunted before narrowing her eyes and leading them to her phone screen again.

The four CPUs were still recovering from the embarrassing bomb of facts that Nepgear set off right before hurrying to Mollie in concern. None of the quartet could tell how long had passed with all of them just soaking in a guilt and awkwardness no umbrella could hide them from.

Thankfully, the purple CPU found it in herself to shatter the glass of silence with a hammer of casualty and vibrations of her cheerful and childlike tones. It was her who mustered the courage to cheer everyone up, telling them how there was nothing they could do before waltzing to her TV and bringing it to life. The rude ruckus emitted was a sufficient push for the rest to drop the conversation after synchronized sighs of fatigue.

On the screen was a news footage. The journalist was a woman that looked in her early twenties. She brandished a fuzzy brown hair and a set of golden, shiny irises. Something significant about her was her captivating bright smile.

The reporter held a microphone with the logo of Lowee on it, which led the four to believing that she worked for said nation. Behind her was a large, open gate. Leading to a complex mixture of games, rollercoasters and lots of excited children running around.

"The brand-new, Lowee amusement park: "Fun Cone" is finally opening its doors!" The broadcaster cheerfully disclosed, moments before turning to the scenery behind her and witnessing the liveliness flooding out. "It's very crowded here as you can see. I would like to remind our dear viewers that this is the first park in Lowee to host the lead idol 5pb. this weekend!"

Suddenly, she led her index to her earpiece. The journalist lightly nodded before looking back at the camera again, ready to deliver any updates. "I was also told that for the next twenty-four hours, "Fun Cone"'s rides will free of any charge!"

"Wowzers Blanny." Neptune spoke up. She was audibly impressed. "You've really went balls to the walls with that project of yours, huh? Mayyybe you can show us around one day?"

Blanc caught on to her ally's cheeky schemes. She looked at her unamused. "Unless you go today, you'll still have to pay."

"Aw man!" The purplette sat up from her beanbag, looking dejected. "Not cool—"

"Wait a moment!" A sudden, stressed voice spoke up. Everyone's eyes dashed quickly towards the twin tailed beauty who was staring at the screen in a rather abnormal hostility.

"Heavens Noire, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Vert questioned. Certainly startled.

"Didn't you see it?" The workaholic pointed at the top right corner of the screen. Seemingly the sky in Lowee.

"Uhm…" Neptune replied awkwardly. "Is the lack of HDD starting to get to you?"

"I'm not hallucinating!" The accused deity defended herself. She was obviously growing more impatient. "I just saw Black Heart flying across a moment ago! If you had focused on the screen and not been so…"

"Calm down." A calm voice interrupted. The white CPU tried her best to remain level-headed. "Even if you did see her, the footage isn't live. This news report was done yesterday. She could be anywhere right now."

"Hmph." Noire huffed. She instantly stood up from the bottom bunk she sat on and headed outside the room where she made a call.

"Hello Kei." She greeted her oracle.

"_Noire? It's unlikely for you to call me."_ Kei replied. Her voiced composed and professional as ever.

"It's an emergency. I need you to get into my computer and use Basiliview." The goddess did not bother with any introductions, and made a quick skip to her request.

"_Basiliview? Are you sure the other CPUs are fine with it? I'll need the confirmation of three CPUs at least." _

"You got mine. Vert and Blanc are okay too." As confident as she sounded, the workaholic hoped the two really have no retorts later on.

"_...Right, please give me a moment." _

Through the phone speaker, the Oracle's shoes could be heard speeding through the hallways. As soon as the rustling came to a halt, her voice came back on. _"I'm in. What do you need?" _

"Use the Share tracker and look for a concentration in Lastation shares around the world… Apart from Lastation of course."

"_Understood." _

With the instructions given, the cosplayer entered the room again and put the call on speakers.

An awkward silence stormed the room. Neptune, Vert and Blanc had their eyes fixated on the crimson eyed lady. The television noise rendered to nothing but a background white-noise. No one paid any mind to it anymore.

'…_I'm seeing a concentrated amount of Lastation shares in Lowee, Noire.' _Suddenly, Kei spoke up.

"Try to zoom in on the map, can you exactly pinpoint her whereabouts?" The call initiator tried her best to hide the urgency in her voice.

'_Not possible. Zooming anymore would need a long time for the pictures to be processed to HD quality.' _

"…Right, that's enough. You can logoff right now, thank you." Noire was obviously unhappy with the results of her search. She quickly terminated the call before crossing her arms together, looking everyone with irritation. "What is she even doing in Lowee?"

"Wait a moment…" The busty goddess raised a palm. "Did you just use the Basiliview?"

The asked girl nodded nonchalantly, unaware of the outburst her answer was about to cause.

"The hell!? You're supposed to ask us before you use that thing!" The novelist quickly shut her book without bothering to set the bookmark. From her looks, she was one inch from tearing the Lastation CPU limb to limb.

"And what? Were you going to reject? And besides, the results were positive, so no harm done." With a hand to her hip, the ravenette looked aside.

"It isn't about us rejecting, it's about you upholding the rules of the contract for our collaboration." With narrowed eyes, the blonde stood up. "If you managed to refrain from asking for our permissions when we were right next to you, how can we guaranty that you wouldn't do the same in the future?"

The mood quickly shifted to an unstable one. Noire had clearly made a mistake, one which she was not ready to admit in her current attitude. But that didn't mean that she wasn't feeling a bone-shattering pressure on her shoulders and mind. It was a miracle that the girl had no break down when her own allies began giving her threatening glares.

"We can discuss that later. For now, we know where my HDD is." But again, hiding her stress only caused the share-race leader to make even more rash decisions.

She turned tails and began promenading down the hallways, seemingly the path to a room containing the recovering flower. And before she could get any further, a pull was felt on her arm, stopping her right in place. "Wowowow, hold your skirt Noire."

It was Neptune. If Noire couldn't tell from the young voice and the unnatural choice of words, then she could from turning back instantly. The glares she gave the tyke were ones that could paralyze a man in seconds. 'Why is everyone and everything getting in my damn way!' she yelled in her mind instantly after being grabbed.

"Let me go, Neptune." She ordered strictly.

"Nuh uh, not until you tell us where you are going." The pudding fanatic shook her head confidently. She locked eyes with her best friend, unfazed by her hostility.

A bit of resistance could be felt from the Tsundere, but the parka rocker had no intention of letting go.

"Let me go already! I'm going to tell Mollie—"

"Tell her what? About Black Heart's whereabouts?" A third party joined the scuffle. Vert had walked out elegantly out of the room, and faced Noire. "Are you going to drag that poor thing all the way to Lowee to fight when she can't even stand up?"

"That's some mighty plan you got there, plan girl." Planeptune's CPU supported her Leanbox ally's opinion. With furrowed brows, she displayed a set of displeased features rarely seen on Neptune.

Noire grunted. "We know Black Heart's whereabouts right now! —"

"And there is nothing we can do about that." The brunette CPU butted in. She was leaning on the door frame of the Nep sisters' room, looking at her friends bitterly. "We already argued about this. Whether we know where the HDDs are or not, there is nothing we can do besides waiting for Mollie to heal up." Slowly, her right fist began clutching. It was synchronized with her brows creating a thick line between her eyes. "The idea pisses me off myself, but…" and suddenly, all the changes in her halted. Blanc reverted to her normal expressionless front. "But your rushing will make it even worse. We can't let you do that.

"And I don't know if you've noticed, but Mollie herself is not in a state that even allows her to comprehend much information right now. Do you remember when we asked her about her powers?"

The short CPU led all three to a shared memory between them.

_["I can use my powers to enhance my bodily powers…"] _

"I don't know about you. But she did not seem able to even form words properly. That is if we ignore the marks on her neck."

"So, you've noticed them as well." Vert commended her ally's sharp eye.

"…" With a gloomy shadow over her eyes, Noire pulled away from Neptune aggressively, almost causing for the latter to lose balance. She said nothing and simply walked past all three before entering a random, empty room.

The trio could hear the lock turning from the inside before a vibration shook the foundations of said space. What followed was a muffled groan.

She was not going to talk anytime soon. That was always a habit of the shut-in CPU. Granted, her communicative skills were far inferior when compared to those of hers in other fields: working, fighting, sewing and even cosplaying. The twin-tailed damsel never saw use of developing her social skills, because: 'Others will always look for a reason to poke fun.' And because she believed that no one would truly be interested in her hobbies. And thus, always shut herself when things got sour, and refrained from talking to anyone apart from Uni. Whether she wished not to show emotions around others, or feared to be seen inferior in any way, shape, or form did not matter. Not to her at least.

That's how it's always been.

That is how it always will be.

That is how she can maintain a wide lead in the share race.

That is how she can maintain a respectful front.

'Not like anyone would understand…'

* * *

"Goodness… They are arguing again." A displeased voice spoke. Its source a frowning Nepgear. She, alongside her companion both stared idly at the door, attempting to pick up anything that might allude to what the commotion was about.

With a hesitant mug, Mollie shifted to face the CPU. "Is-Is it because of me?"

"What? Of course not! Please don't blame yourself!" The candidate flashed a cooing smile before looking away in embarrassment. "They just tend to argue about the smallest of things. One time they all got into a scuffle because none of them could agree about what game to play."

"O-Oh, I see…" The pinkette nodded slowly. Similar to how a student would after grasping a lesson.

Suddenly, all fuss halted. The hallways returned to their respectful silence, and the two were left to bask in a peaceful quietude for a nice moment of time.

"…"

"They stopped… Usually it's a lot longer than that. Hmm…" The young tech lover looked down and pondered for a moment.

In the midst of her reflections, Nepgear gave room for Mollie to silently consider her options. There wasn't much in front of her. It was either taking her duties, or turning her back on those who saved her.

'Running away would be gutless…' Her thoughts echoed. Bringing up a flask of memories that flooded her conscious. She narrated herself a line said many times by her beloved mother.

But even then, another one was fired instantly to counter the newly spawned assessment. 'But I couldn't even beat Sable; a puny human… How am I going to face literal Goddesses…?' A sudden vision sparked at the girl like a camera flash. The memories presented to her were the remnants of an unsettling night terror.

_["You failed us!"]_

She recoiled. A quick tremble jittered her limbs.

Nepgear did not react. The movement must've been too subtle to earn the Goddess' attention away from her thinking process.

'They said the portal summoned me because I am worthy, but…' She clenched her fists. The strength in her hands not quite the same as before. An infectious feeling of weakness branched through her arms.

Mollie then let down her arms rest on the bed and stepped out of her thinking zone and into the real world. "Miss Nepgear?" With a dim voice, she called out again. And though she made sure to not startle the girl, it still plucked her out of her own pondering session with a splash of surprise.

"O-Oh, yes?"

"Do you think I will fail?" With no introductions, a flat-out query surfaced. A grim one. "If you were to honestly answer me. You know your sisters' strength a lot better than me. You would know…" A palm was led to her face. She covered her eyes and laid back on the bed. "You would know why the portal summoned me… Wouldn't you?"

"Goodness, Mollie!" A clear shock flared the purplette. She instinctively led a palm to her mouth as a sweat drop climbed down her uneasy features. "Of course, I don't think you would fail! We don't even know what you are capable of yet. The portal summoned you of all people for a reason! The power of shares can't make a mistake, I am certain of it!"

"…Why are you all so confident in this power of "Shares"?"

"Because it's the faith of all people that believe in us! The will and hope that our citizens put in each and every one of us." With a firm fist to put to her chest, Nepgear adopted a set of serious and determined features.

One she rarely used. She was not kidding around.

"There is no way, no way a power so pure could be mistaken! If it chose you, then it must be for a really good reason!" Gently, the girl put a hand on top of her companion's. The same one Mollie placed on her eyes. "I know you lost a lot. I know you must feel lonely and powerless. But that isn't the truth! You're not alone, you aren't powerless… I choose to believe in you, just like everyone else chose to believe in what their shares brought."

A spasm of confusion spiralled within the resting lass. She eyed the CPU Candidate with eyes full of questions. "W-What do you mean…?"

"I know it's hard to notice, but everyone has their faith in you. It's just that all the pressure from work and stress makes it really hard for them to tell their true feelings."

"I… See." Mollie twisted her lips before looking up at the roof.

Nothing left was there to be said. Surely, the flower girl was feeling at ease… At least compared to when she woke up. Thankfully, she found herself in good hands.

Truth be told, the telekinetic fighter always thought Goddesses were invisible entities in the skies. Ones that foresee everything, but are seen by none. Ones that could control destiny with a mere flick of a wrist, or a thought of mind. And whereas that might be true elsewhere, in this dimension they were a bunch of really quirky girls that… Well, okay, they looked very, very beautiful and holy no matter which angle you spectated them from. _But! _The point was that young Puriolét never imagined a short tyke with an overflow of energy could ever be considered a holy entity.

Then again, the girl really had no saying in the matter. Right now, she needed to put her mind and body to rest, and not think about anything that might escalate her case even further.

Nepgear made sure to stay next to the girl at all times out of kindness and concern. She knew the dangers of leaving someone who had lost everything all alone. Suicidal thoughts were like a fox if left unwatched, a sly plague that fed on one's loneliness and self-hatred; two things that, only by looking, were present very distinctively within Mollie. And just as IF and Compa made sure to always keep the girl within high spirits in her downtimes, she knew that it was time for her to help someone up, and to shoo the claws of depression away from them.

But without realizing, the two ended up having enough fun to restrain their attention away from time. And like an unexpectable guest, two days had passed. Forty-eight hours enough to get the girl acquainted verbally with all that Gamindustri had to offer.

At first it was like lingering thoughts. Funny speculations given birth to by all the hints the pinkette caught up to. But the longer the tech-genius kept her company the more the girl realized…

Everything was like a fantastic game story.

Of course, unlike any other otaku or gamer that would instantly, and inexplicably heal all his traumas from that single thought before trying to blindly make a harem out of these far-beyond-reach Goddesses. Mollie recovered in that short span of time thanks to one of her many blessings… Her regeneration. A speed of recovery that did not go unnoticed, of course.

It took a day for her to get back on her feet. But a lingering sense of fatigue and uncertainty still remained. One that still couldn't leave the girl away from the watchful, caring eyes of the CPUs, Histoire and even Compa. Even if the latter never really had a chance to have a proper conversation with the pinkette due to either being busy, or that the one in question was already engaged by another divinity.

But as the second cycle rolled over. Mollie found herself feeling physically fit. Her body no longer hurt upon movement, and her limbs were as flexible as ever. She tested this fact in early morning after a goodnight's sleep. As soon as her alarm shouted out, a surge of unparalleled energy overcame her. Without any procrastinating, she shot up to her feet and breathed a long, refreshing wave of morning air. "No pain." She told herself, moments before looking at her open palm and focusing. Just as she did, a strong glow emitted from her body, like an aura that was sheer from swallowing her whole. "Great."

Everything was going according to plan for her. The girl then stood in a big enough empty space and, as soon as she made sure she was clear from breaking anything, jumped high enough for her to make a beautiful spinning motion backwards. Young Puriolét's momentum did not seem potent enough to land her back on her feet. Her beautiful silky hair, her raging, flashy lights all swooshed in one fine crescent-shape before she landed on her hand. Her legs were hanging above her head, but her hair did not seem affected by gravity nor physics anymore. Instead, it just floated mid-air like a helium filled balloon. In her athletic position, the girl balanced perfectly without any hardships whatsoever. "Sweet!~"

Suddenly, the girl descended. For a moment, it looked like her arm began giving way, but instantly after, she pushed herself up. From a spectator's eye, the flower girl looked like a petal; fine and weightless. A quick spin allowed for Mollie to swiftly find her feet.

Just as she did, the pinkette used her momentum and excitement to kick as highly as possible. Like a pair of new shiny scissors, her legs came open, creating a perfect one eighty degrees angle. The results brought a child-like smile on the damsel's face. Slowly, she dropped her leg. Not to disturb the frail, delicate morning hush.

Last but not least, young Puriolét put her hands in front of her in a fighting stance. Making out of the mindless air an enemy of hers, she focused her energy effortlessly and ran her fist in a straight line parallel to with the horizon. The easy, lax punch created a gust of wind. One equalling the strength of the fist that gave birth to it. And thus, it did nothing more than give the curtains she faced a friendly push.

"…Perfect!~ Hehe!" Just as her glow dimmed to its normal, unblinding state, the girl jumped up in happiness. Her happy chirps simultaneous with the nurturing golden rays of morning as they snuck their way through the screen of cloth her wind just kissed.

As she guarded her unadapt eyes from the lights of nature, she sneaked the alarm clock a glance.

**8 AM. **

The red writing boldly informed. Judging by how quiet everything was, the girl felt safe to assume that everyone was sound asleep.

**Knock, Knock. **A pair of polite thumps beat against the door. They sure were unexpected, but nothing too shocking to get a girly shriek out of the girl. She fixed her hair, making sure she was in a presentable state.

But just as she turned the door knob, she realized. 'Ack! I didn't even shower yet…!' Sadly, it was too late.

"Good morning, Miss Mollie." A heavenly, mature voice rang through the door. Its source was much smaller than expected. The greeted girl to recoiled ever so slightly.

"A-Ah, Miss Histoire. Good morning to you too." She greeted her back, and followed by a polite bow.

"My, there really is no reason for you to be so formal." Abruptly, a chuckle stopped her mid-way. "Mhmhm~ though I've been telling you so the past few days, you still choose not to listen to me."

Mollie smiled awkwardly before running a hand behind her head. "Ahah… I-I just can't seem to do that… Though, it is cute how Lady Neptune calls you "Histy"."

"Ah, yes." The book fairy nodded. "If _only _she were as efficient in her work as she is at making pet names…" An unfortunate frown found itself on the blonde oracle's face. Remembering Neptune's schemes always brought her strict figure to crook down, alongside the countless migraines she just learned to live with.

But even then, the youthful figure couldn't help but notice a drop of remedy within the fairy's quiet rants. One that gave her a healthy dose of nostalgia. One that drove the girl into a mini-quest of finding what this longing feeling was…

"Ah… Mhmhm~" Immersed in thought, the girl chuckled. For a quick moment of time, she saw Histoire brandishing an ocean hue hair and matching eyes. A hallucination that brought the girl her answer on a fancy plate of sapphire.

The oracle looked most like a mother in that statement. One that, from the outside appeared angry and scolding and would do anything to straighten her CPU's behaviour. But from the inside, appreciated all the quirkiness Neptune bore. Even if not related by blood, the two's relation always seemed that way and without realizing, the book fairy's subconscious may have already adapted to that fact.

"Hm? What is it?" Histoire curiously queried with a smile.

"A-Ah, nothing, hehe.~" An innocent blush decorated the damsel's features. "It's just that you and Neptune look like a mother and daughter to me. And even when you look really mad at her, I felt like deep down you just... Like that playful side of hers."

"My, is that so?" The oracle cheerfully followed, visibly overjoyed and interested. "I've never really thought about it that way. But now that I think about it, you do have a point. I guess I just too used to her schemes that it's now an irremovable part of my life. But of course…" Instantly, the approving looks all vanished. Leaving behind traces of a firm seriousness. "That is simply not possible to enjoy at all times. She is still a CPU, the Goddess of a nation. It's simply not within her list of luxuries to indulge in such childish acts at all times. She carries the weight of a whole nation on her shoulders, and the faith of the people is fickle. It can change in seconds, unfortunately."

"Oh, I see…"

"…I do not wish to see the down fall of Neptune and Nepgear…"

"H-Huh?" Mollie instantly looked up at her companion in surprise.

"A-Ah, I'm rambling again. Please do not mind me." The miniature girl apologized, before moving to another topic with a sorry smile. "I wished to check up on your health. But now looking at you, it seems like you've recovered rather fascinatingly."

"Mhm! I feel really nice today. In fact…" Enthusiastically, the summoned ally hurried to the window and pointed out like a child eager to play outside. "I want to finally explore this world and learn its whereabouts!"

The answer caught the book fairy by surprise.

She was there when Mollie was summoned. She was there when she was recovering. She was there to notice each and every change in her mentality and ability. But such question surely was not expected. Not that it was bad by any means, but someone who had tea and cake with Death himself before going down to business two days ago surely would need more time just to comprehend the luck it took for them to not be a corpse in a tomb right now.

"Are you sure? It might be to your best benefit to rest more. There is no rush." She advised calmly.

But of course. With the overwhelming wave of passion she was riding on, the telekinetic lass only pressed further. "I'm as sure as strawberry is pretty and delicious! This world looks really delightful, and I bet the people are even better!"

"Hm… If you are sure about this, then I will not restrain you. But I would at least insist on taking someone along. It is simply too dangerous to wander around unknown land without a trustable guide."

"Oh! Can it be Miss Nepgear?" Mollie asked with a flash of excitement in her eyes.

"Ah, I'm afraid that would not be possible." The second in command delivered unfortunate news. "Nepgear must take on her duties again. In the midst of taking care of you, she couldn't do any work."

"Awww…" With a dejected frown, the unhappy flower leaned forward before uttering a crestfallen mope.

"I apologize. But with Neptune no longer being a CPU, her ability to do consistent already got halved." When the fairy's statement halted, she smacked her palm against her annoyed features. "Her ability was already next to zero… There is simply no convincing her to do any work right now. We should also let the other oracles and CPU Candidates know of the updates. Keeping them waiting any longer would be unethical."

"Hm… Yeah." The Pinkette fixed her posture before talking again. She nodded in agreement with Histoire. "She is still a Goddess, so I can't keep her distracted. But who am I going to go with then?"

Right before the duo dove into another pondering session, a sudden youthful voice startled both of them. "Ah, Miss Histoire, you're here!"

Through the door walked a peach haired female with matching eye colours. Her hands were folded together and her posture was as polite as ever. She brandished a soft, hug inviting sweater of brown colour, alongside a red skirt, checkered with thin white lines and thick black ones.

It was Compa!

"Ah, Compa. How may I be of service." The oracle quickly greeted the nurse with a smile, unaware of the unacquainted pair before her.

The party medic was left to eye Mollie for a short span of time. She ran her eyes across the teenager in her generic purple pyjama, all the way to her glossy, florid hair and captivating, finely highlighted pair of forest hues.

Young Puriolét's glow was something never seen before to her. If she had to compare it to anything remotely, then 'She's almost glowing like Nep-Nep in her HDD…'

Of course, the peachette did not wish to cause awkwardness. She quickly snapped out of her analytic state and bowed down to the new girl in salutations. "Hello! My name is Compa, nice to meet you!~"

"Oh, Compa… That's a really cute name!" The addressed figure quickly noticed with an unexpectant beam. "I'm Mollie. Nice to meet you too!" She returned the hospital worker's salutations with a similar hunch.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted you two." The apology was seen on her features alongside her voice.

But quickly, the motherly figure laid Compa's worries to rest. "There is no need to be sorry, Compa. We were not discussing anything of urgency."

"Oh, okay!" With one of her signature smiles, the syringe wielder went back to her initial topic. "Well, Iffy is asleep and I just finished changing her bandages. So is there anything you would like me to help with?"

Almost like an answer from destiny, the caretaker showered up in the perfect time to answer Histoire and Mollie's concerns. The former's eyes quickly lit up after hearing the friendly query. "Ah, perfect timing then. Would you be ever so kind to show Mollie around Planeptune? We were just discussing that."

"Oh! Of course!" The nurse was quick to reply. Her hastiness almost a reason for the two girls before her to doubt if she even processed the request completely.

That of course was not the case. Compa had full knowledge of what she had just agreed to. To her, it was just a golden chance to get acquainted with the newly summoned lass. An opportunity at something the peachette's been trying to do for quite a while now.

_**=-Chapter 3: END-=**_


	5. Chapter 4: Nursing Sorrow's Roots

_**Okay, I really don't have an excuse for that long, excruciating period of absence. I would say I had school and exam preparations so I just hope you can be understanding enough for when I simply can't get a letter in some months. **_

_**With that out of the way, the chapter word count is: 12267. I hope it's a good read and as always, it's kind of hard to spell check chapters of such length so I also hope you can be understanding when it comes down to misspelling and funky word placements. **_

_**Oh, I also hope you like the new decorations!**_

* * *

°•. ✿ .•°

_**~=HyperDimension Neptunia: Pursuing Perfection=~**_

_**-Chapter 4: Nursing Sorrow's Roots-**_

°•. ✿ .•°

_We find ourselves exposed to a scenery most unrealistic… A world so full of joy and glee. Limited only by a most enchanting azure that extended as far as the eye could reach, the heavens were not interrupted, as the clouds were taking a nice, relaxing break for now. _

_Under the supervising sky, a city stood on its legs, and gosh were those legs majestic._

_At first glance, any pair could tell the atmosphere was dominated by a theme of three: Purple, White and Pink. That trio could be seen everywhere: The buildings, the light posts, even the ground! And what made this even better was the needle-like basilicom that effortlessly jabbed the horizon. _

_The crowded streets gave the nation a healthy dose of liveliness. Its people enjoy the peaceful times, from unburdened children running around aimlessly, to a contrast of cheerful and slumped-over students exiting their school after half a day of hard work, looks like today was an early dismissal. Some headed back home for a quick shower and a nap, maybe an evening-session of games. While the others preferred visiting the cafeteria with their acquaintances and concluding the chatter they were prohibited from during class. To businessmen and women hanging tightly to their suitcases and neckties as they threaded the threads of unknown fate. _

_And among the whirl of population, an easy-to-spot duo could be seen walking down the busy streets of Planeptune, though the way they were headed was significantly less populous than the main boulevard. In fact, we zoom more so towards the eastern half of the progressive land, where a Pinkette and a Peachette were side by side. _

_Naturally, the latter donned her usual warm and cutesy outfit. The blend of a motherly sweater basking in the same colours as her celestial hair alongside her checkered red skirt was familiar and easy on the eyes. _

_But unlike her companion, the former adopted a set of fresh feathers offered to her by the tome dweller. It was an uncomplicated yet charming school outfit featuring a simple white buttoned shirt. Around her neck was a loose, purple necktie. It was thin and extended all the way to her bellybutton region. Below all that was a knee-level A line purple skirt, matching the accessory mentioned earlier. The combo finished with a pair of white thigh highs and a pair of black cute boots. _

"So Miss Mollie, how are you finding Planeptune?~" _The latter chirped. She took a quick glance at her partner, who seemed both flustered and overwhelmed by the architecture canvas before her… _

"I'm… H-Honestly not sure…" _A quick reply sufficed. The young Puriolét ran her eyes quickly over the buildings, cars and even the road itself… 'Is this concret? How is it purple…?!' Her mind demanded answers. _

"Not sure about what?" _With a quick head tilt, Compa sought to know the meaning behind Mollie's reply… Did she mean the __**good**__ "Not sure", or the __**bad**__ one? _

"Umm… How great this place is... A-At least from first glance…_" The guest began. _"Everything is so tidy and in-place… The buildings are so clean it's like they were made yesterday, and the roads are so ceaseless, fresh and elegant you'd think people have no shoes on… And what's even better is the atmosphere… It's just so… so…!" _Words were not enough to describe the teenager's feelings, so she took it to actions instead. The foreign schoolgirl puffed her chest, and breathed as much bliss as her person mustered. _"It's so… _So_ light and clean…!"

_The girl felt powerless against the chuckles that swirled within her, and as she let them out, a faint, but notable feeling of pleasure filled her whole. _"It's just… So different, in the good way, Miss Compa…~"

_Compa quickly found herself under the expectant eyes of her new acquaintance. Her job as a nurse supplied her with enough experience to notice any small changes in her patient's features, and right now, one thing certainly didn't go through the care-taker's sharp-witted censors…_

…

…

_**Blood boiling embarrassment. **_

"AH!" _Her mind abruptly brought up how awkward she must've looked… As an introvert, the stunt the girl took was almost as big as running around naked, and so, her leading attitude was to cover her face… _"S-Sorry! I'm weird, I know…"

"Huh? No no!" _The peach-eyed charmer flailed her hands in quick denial._ "You're not!"

_Mollie tested the waters, and remained behind her palms before checking between her fingers just barely… She was like a cat being tamed by someone trustworthy. _"...Really…?"

_As per usual, Compa wore her heart on her sleeves, and nodded confidently. _"Yes, silly! I was just happy to know that you like it here. I really feared you'd hate it because someone super shy like you would prefer a place like Leanbox more."

"R-Reanbox…?" _The Pinkette brought down her walls… Physical ones at least, and queried. _"What's it like?"

"Well umm… If I had to summarise how it looks…" _Immediately, Compa's eyes darted upwards. Her index smoothly traced the air, and landed on her creamy chin. _"It's a lot less futuristic than Planeptune, but it's super nice and calm! It has a lot more grasslands and is mostly recommended for people who like to live calm and quiet lives… Actually, it's so peaceful that patients with stress and anxiety issues are told to take vacations there specifically!"

_Instantaneously, a picture was painted on the summoned gal's noggin… 'Whoa… Could it be like I think it is… Green stretching as far as the eye can see, and really warm wind blowing… Mmm, I just want to lay down there and forget about everything…~ I could make grass-angels, and sleep aaall day on the easy grass… Oh, maybe even draw the scenery! I bet mom would love to see it-...' _

_And cut… Her mind quit thinking. It was similar to how a city would cease all life under a power outage… Mollie was left staring down blankly, from when she was daydreaming, to when her consciousness partially faded._

"Miss… Mollie?" _Concern flared on the nurse's mug. After a couple of calls of her ally's name, she decided to get physical, and tapped her shoulder just barely…_

"Ah!" _In a jiffy, the addressed girl answered. _"W-What…?- I mean… Sorry, sorry… I just got too deep in my thinking, eheheh…" _Unfortunately for the remorseful female, her fake smile was not convincing. _

"Um… Are you sure you're okay…?" _A sweat drop climbed down the busty beauty's face, bolding out her doubts. _"You've been side tracked a lot today…"

"I'm fiiine, I'm fine!"_ Mollie swatted Compa's concerns away reassuringly like she was swatting away a mere fly. _"I'm just an overthinker, yeah!~"

…

…

_Compa knew. _

_She knew very well that those claims were all false, inaccurate, a mere disguise for young Puriolét's true feelings._

_A big, mean lie… _

_But she couldn't help it, she only knew the damsel for minutes less than an hour! She __**wanted**__ to help, truly, but you can't help someone who just doesn't want it!_

_For now, it was best for her to back away, and delve deeper later. _"Okay!~" _Her frown flipped and her voice gained in fuel. _"We walked enough, my nurse senses tell me that you must be tired! I know a really nice cafeteria around here, so let's go!"

"M-Mhm!" _Briskly acknowledging, the Telekinesis user felt great relief that her claims were believed, and paced behind her guide most-obediently. _

_The duo would return to a state of respectful silence. Both of them knew that their knowledge of each other would only go as far as sharing names and likes. It would've been truly awkward for someone to spark a topic that does not interest the other in the slightest. But there was this distinct enjoyment from this small company. _

_After what felt like a solid two to three minutes walk, Compa and Mollie found themselves facing a most welcoming café. It's true that the former had already addressed this spot as "Really nice", but to have just the forefront be this captivating was a whole other thing! _

_Let's get a quick summary of what the two were seeing. _

_First and foremost, glowing with a dim, purple light was the declaration "Neptune Break", ensnared in an oval sign smothered with beauteous engravings and shapes, the word "Break" also had some cracks to its letters. Below that was the entrance, to its sides were two large glass-panes that allowed for just a sneak-peak inside the luxurious attraction, their warm purple theme embraced one in a homey, warm impression. Said mirrors were bordered by an altering pattern of purple and black blocks that updated all around it, and finished lastly by meeting at the shop's door, which was a simple purple frame encasing a white, high quality glass pane brandishing Planeptune's "N" logo, big enough to take the entire middle of the portal. The coffee shop did not lack in its outer decorations as four, large plants stood tall at its front; two to the very side and the other pair standing guard near the entrance. Were you to look down, you'd notice that a special flooring was used to mark the house's plot, and unlike what you'd expect at a humble store, this one stretched out with a logo of what seemed to be a Chibi Neptune happily indulging in her drink while winking at the customers… Was it the store's logo? Who knows. _

_There also were a number of seats laid out for customers who enjoyed an open climate. Each of the tables carried a menu of its own. The exterior setting was all housed inside a fancy, black railing that stretched from the attraction's outer walls to where the brand ended._

'_Wow…' Impressed was a true understatement for the new girl's face right now. 'This place… Is this like the best coffee shop in this entire world…? The last time I saw something this good was in Nariel… And you had to pay a lot more than a normal store just to sit in!' _

"So, you coming?~" _Paying no attention to her ally's reaction, Compa invited Mollie in, and casually gave the door a light push. _

_The portal welcomed the duo melodically once they walked in. Inside, the alien's expectations were not disappointed. Sure, there were no robotic cute cats running around taking customers' orders, and the floor below her did not shine with light. But it also did not pale from its exterior design. The interior had a brighter theme of pink and white with the former being the most dominant one. A most noticeable feature was the place's size, it was large enough to fit at least a hundred and twenty five customers at once… __**At its base floor. **_

"W-Wait a moment.. Are those stairs?" _The pinkette pointed out._

_The care-taker cutely nodded. _"Mhm! Didn't you notice the second stage outside?"

"I honestly didn't…" _Muttering out an inaudible reply, the school girl stood there, engrossed in the cheerful and casual chatter brimming the place, the tantalizing aroma of fresh baked goods pouring from the back and the delightful songs streaming, it was to her taste 'This singer has a really divine voice…' She quickly remarked. She continued running her eyes across the white quartz flooring, and landed on the cute pink sofas besides each table to her right and left. Simple and nice. _

_The walls were clean and shiny. The flawless pink painting housed numerous cute white hearts within it, and as her eyes raced to the ceiling, they connected with the same logo she saw outside, only a lot bigger. From the roof also hung what seemed to be countless light rods, each parted an equal distance from the other, and met at the formerly mentioned logo to circulate around it. To each corner stood a proud plant pot, each of them bore a distinct kind of flowering: Roses, hydrangeas, and even some that the alien couldn't recognize. 'Wow… What are those…~' She excitedly told herself. The anthophile in her wished to carefully examine these elegant new models of blossoms. _

_Facing the two was a normal shop counter. Its bottom half flaunted white while the top was a creamy fuschia. Round and large display cases connected to the table from both sides, they stretched enough to reach the wall behind and advertised numerous kinds of sweets and salty treats, each in their respective container. _

_Above that was yet another large drawing, but different from the shop's logo. This time, the back wall showed off what seemed to be a pink minimalist art of…Purple Heart? Such refined curvatures and carefully groomed braids could only belong to one holiness, it was distinct even in a simple, broad brand of art. She seemed to be peeking over her shoulder while holding a small cup, possibly housing a refreshing dose of tea. _

_Compa was first to approach the counter and glance at the overhead menu. 'Oh, it looks to be the same as yesterday's!' Her monologue carried the excitement over to her widening, full of life irises._ "Good morning!~"

_Her friendly gesture was meant towards the lovely blonde in a white and black maid outfit, she also had a captivating pair of rose eyes and a frilly lace bound right over her average-sized bust. The girl smiled professionally, and bowed slightly. _"Good morning Miss Compa. How can I help you today?~"_ With the same, if not more enthusiasm, she returned. _

_It took nothing but mere seconds for the peachette to properly consider her choices before a ringing bell played in her mind. _"Well umm… I'll take a strawberry cake slice and a cup of green tea."

_Hurriedly humming to herself, the owner nodded to herself and pointed over her customer's shoulder. _"Is the mistress with you this time?" _With a curious head tilt, she asked. _

"Oh yes! That's Mollie!" _The peach cake introduced cheerfully and eyed the mentioned klutz. _

"H-Huh?! O-Oh, right, sorry!" _Embarrassed, Mollie paced to her guide's side, and drew an awkward beam. _"I really liked the decor... "

"It's all right Miss. It is in fact a delight to know both our regulars and newcomers enjoy the place's looks." S_miling r__eassuringly , the shop worker looked at young Puriolét. _"Will you be ordering anything?"

_The sudden query pounced at the girl. She quickly shifted her eyes left and right before looking down and fondling with her restless thumbs. _"D-Do you serve… Strawberry juice…?" _A strong flavour of hesitation was tasted on the immigrant's words, it wasn't a familiar tone for Planeptune folks._

"Hmm, you're not from here are you?" _Asked the waitress._ "Of course we serve strawberry juice!~. Please give me a moment to prepare your orders, take any table you see fit." _And as quickly as her reply was heard, the elegant worker skipped to the back room, her actions were paralleled with the duo nodding in acknowledgement and finding a seat of their own. Thankfully, today was not as crowded as usually which made the process a lot less daunting. _

"There isn't a reason for you to be shy Miss Mollie." _Compa started soon after the two settled._ "I know you've been through so much pain only until recently, and that you're in a whole other world… But people here are nice, I can promise you that!"

"T-Thanks…" _The young flower expressed her gratitude with a mild yet honest smile. _"I-It's not that I find this place overwhelming or anything, it's only that… I've never been much away from home…" _With the truth behind her hesitant actions laid out, the introvert looked aside some. _"I've only really been open with my mother… So being stranded away in a whole other dimension, without her is…" _Her statement met an abrupt silence, Mollie's words stuck in her throat. She had hoped that the nurse would finish the sentence for her. _

"I understand. You don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable about it." _Granted, the party-healer had multiple patients with cases such as Mollie's. Only, she never intended to treat the girl before her as a subject, but as a potential friend of hers._ "We can talk about something else if you want?~"

"Hmm… Well, there is something." _Giving her chin a rub or two, a light bulb appeared above the questioned head._ "I've been noticing something weird in this world like… There are a lot of people, a lot more than usual, that's a first. And second… The biggest majority are girls too! I've only seen a bunch of guys running around, not to mention that this very Café has only two guys sitting over there." _Her claim was proven by her evident finger pointing at two fine men. _

"Oh, hmm… Well, that's because-" Right as the syringe-user leapt to answer, her words betrayed her for an approaching entity.

"Here you go." With a tray in hand, the blonde waitress served the two their orders. "A cup of strawberry juice for Miss Mollie, and tea with a slice of strawberry cake for Miss Compa." Her answering came with smooth distribution. The woman then put the silver tray to her chest and smiled. "Please enjoy.~"

Surprisingly, the girl did not leave, but looked at Mollie first. "Oh, and the payment comes right before you leave, Miss."

'H-How did she know I…'

_The surprise on her face was not enjoyed by the diligent worker, she had already left for her post. But it sufficed to give Compa a nice chuckle. _"Hehe~ Miss Vivi is nice.~"

"Vi… vi? Is that her name?"

"Mhm." Nodding, the regular took a quick sip from her beverage, which instantly illuminated her eyes with energy. "And about your question, you saw more girly girls than manly men because that's the ratio here." _A clicking sound was born from the cup and the table's wooden nature connecting. The informing person led her index to her chin, and hummed. _"Umm, if I'm not forgetting, the latest ratio I heard was three females to… Ah! Yes, yes, three females to one male!"

_**COUGH! **_

_The pinkette was unable to suppress the swelling in her chest, the surprise was like a virus fighting to spread out. Her gratitude was immeasurable for not taking a sip of her drink already, else it'd have been all over her gentle companion now. But seriously, that ratio was two more than what our guest was used to. _"T-Three?! It's not equal?!" _The disbelief was quickly met by a disagreeing head wave._ "B-But… How does it work then… Are things different here? Y-You know… Breeding?" _Courage of a million men was used to let that question out. It'll take another million seconds for the alien to save up that strength again. But at least it was used for a good question. _

"Hm? No no, it's the same!" _As unusual as it was, Compa smiled awkwardly. _"But you will commonly find two girly girls being married, or multiple girls to one guy." _'This is actually a little embarrassing to say out loud…' It seemed like the nurse overestimated her abilities to keep young Puriolét comfortable. She quickly took a spoonful of her cake, and tried to distract her mind with the mouthwatering sweetness. 'Mmm, I bet I'm super blushy right now… Uuuu…' _

_Peculiarly, the reaction our caretaker expected was mere fiction. In fact, Mollie's features seemed even a little kinder now. _"That… Sounds good." _Beaming with a nod, the pinkette sampled her order. _

_The thick, yet delicate texture coated her tongue whole and quickly invaded her entire mouth. The energising sugariness soon washed away the dizziness looming over the summoned one and replaced it by a consoling serenity. Each sip made the consumer hope to indulge more, longing for the cold treat to last forever…_

_**Clack. **_

_The glass was put down with the usual clatter sound. 'So good…' young Puriolét pondered quickly, before eyeing the one before her. _"It's… Really good, hehe.~"

"Nice, I'm glad you liked it! This place serves one of the best drinks all around Gamindustri, so make sure to visit it plenty whenever you feel pooped!" _Cheering the beginner on, the medic ran her eyes across the shop, and smiled sadly, bitterly. _

_A change of hearts easily noticed by the cautious female._ "...Miss Compa, are you okay...?" _Still hesitant, the concern was yet noticeable on her air waves. Mollie crooked an eyebrow, and leaned forward a bit. _

"Mhm…" _Her answer came brief and simple, almost like she expected that examination to be thrown her way. _"I'm just remembering someone, is all…"

"Do you… Miss someone?"

"..." _Letting a moment of silence to pass, the busty charmer mulled over: 'Should I tell her, or is it going to trouble her more…?' Said thoughts echoed against her walls again and again, not dimming but only gaining in strength, all while she stared at the ground intently._

"Miss Comp-"

"H-Huh?! Oh no no, it's not like they died or anything!" _Swatting off the alien's worries, the Maker beamed clumsily, forcing out the laughter. _"It's just a friend of mine who's injured, so they had to take a break is all! I come here with her very regularly, so I was just remembering the last time we were here together."

"Is… That so…" _Doubt dripped off the stranger's reply. She wanted to believe Compa, truly! But with how much experience she had at reading people's emotions, it was without a doubt, a disguise for what she honestly thought. _

_And not only that, for a moment the young flower could swear an aura much different emitted from the gregarious lass. It was one of darker nature, one bearing burden and sadness, concern and fear…_

'_So you aren't as happy as you want me to think you are…' The psychic started one of her many habitual monologues. 'You just want everyone around you to be happy, because you trust you can shoulder all the problems in the world… But as soon as hardships begin leaking to those you care about, you become frantic… I know your type, Miss Compa. Something through your life, be it recent or as you grew up, must've happened to cause this, and when it did, it painted in your mind the idea that others are always irresponsible with themselves and risk their health haphazardly… This also shows in the fact that you are a nurse, and from what I can tell, a dedicated one.' _

_She followed her thoughts by quickly tapping the table, trading the party-healer the same kind of smiles that reassured her earlier. 'You got a lot more layers than one would tell just by looking at you.' _"That's… Really sad, honestly… Hey, maybe when I get my gloves from Lady Noire, I could heal her!"

_Shocked, the peachette's eyes widened, opening a window to her honest ambiguity. '_"You can do that…?"

"Mhm!" _For the first time yet, the proposing side confirmed with a simple, chipper gesture of the head. _"And it has no side effects whatsoever!"

_Yet again, the happy-go-lucky hurried back to her thinking shed, considering her options. 'Is that okay though…? Iffy just agreed to rest and not risk her life on daily quests. If I let Miss Mollie help her, she'd definitely want to join in retrieving the HDDs… And even more, she could become much more careless with someone that could provide better… Instant medical care… Than me-' _

"**No." **

_Flabbergasting even herself, Compa quickly grew weary of her lips. 'T… They moved on their own?' her thoughts sinked, and were replaced by an endless list of reasons for that act…_

_Responsibility?_

_Dread?_

_Confidence that IF was absolutely in no need of magical healing…? _

_Definitely! Iffy was too cool to rely on some glowing spells! _

'_...Am I… Jealous?' _

"O-Oh…" _Mollie muttered after her own round of thinking. _"I understand…" _The girl replied, gazing aside. _

_The abysmal outpouring of stiffness and inelegance boiled down to a breach of complete silence._

_Was it them, or did the entire Café just stop talking all of a sudden…? Was the temperature rising too? _

_The endless list of doubts made their heartbeats contest; accelerating more and more with each negative thought, the abundant blood flow enriched their faces, and brought a blush not cute, nor romantic._

"So… Is there anything else I can bring you two?~"

_A jolt and a slight gasp, the two eyed the source of unidentified encroachment in complete synchrony. _

_It was Vivi. _

"Wow, did I startle you? S-Sorry…"

"N-No no! It's fine!" _Compa gave herself a quick mental slap, and displayed her usual cheery gear._ "We're the ones that should be apologizing for worrying you, ehehe.~"

_Unable to meddle further, the waitress rubbed the back of her head slowly, then smiled. _"That's good. Well then, I'll just leave this here." _She followed her claim by handing the two what seemed to be a purple book with a paper sticking out of it. _

_It was the bill. _

"Oh, I'll handle that." _Before the pinkette could touch the item, the nurse swiftly snatched it and took a look at the contents. _"It's on me since I invited you here." _Brandishing her trademark beam, Compa finished what was left of her drink and approached the counter, putting down an easy amount of 150 credits. _

'_Hmmm… I shouldn't meddle too much… Idiot.' Self-loathing, the school girl took a peek at her cup, only to realize she emptied it long ago. 'Aww… Must've downed it to distract myself…' _

"Okay, are you ready to head out?~" _The maker announced to her friend kindly. _

"Y-Yeah, thank you very much."

_The mood felt a lot easier on the heart. Mollie and Compa exited the luxurious chain feeling at least a bit better than when they visited, and en route were they on finishing the tour around Gamindustri's Planeptune. _

°•. ✿ .•°

°•. ✿ .•°

_**Meanwhile… At the basilicom. **_

_At a lonely desk remained a small, diligent divinity. Nepgear this early in the morning decided to take up on her new temporary tasks, and begin scratching them off the list one after another. She may've helped her older sister plenty before, but being the one and only to fill all the stacks of white had a kind of anxiety similar to taking a trip to the doctor, or holding an actual gun rather than seeing a picture of it._

_But even then, she worked restlessly. The lights of three monitors illuminated her focused features from three angles, and her concentration was sharper than Noire's tongue when she grew impatient._

'_Hm... ' Eyeing what seemed like a document of great significance, the candidate hummed to herself. _"Request for funding a new orphanage, hmm…" _Even if slightly, a faint curve was visible in her mouth. _"That sounds nice, though… Another one? Aww… We're getting so many cases relating to orphans and children being abandoned… This is awful."

_Skilfully, the girl ran her eyes across the building's coordinations and expected construction duration alongside many other important details such as capacity and countless information about the source of application. _

"The budget's really limited this month and we are only half way, but I can't let the children remain unsheltered…" _Troubled, the purplette sighed, and took hold of her seal of approval, and gave the paper a red emblem… _

"Ah, Nepgear. Working diligently as always, I see." _**If**__ the oracle of Planeptune's basilicom, Histoire herself did not startle her out of the blue. _"I see you're having trouble?"

"O-Oh, hello Histoire." _The sailor dress rocker beamed angelically, and let go of her tool. _"It's not really a problem, just thinking to myself. Sorry if I was being too loud." _Her positive features soon curved to a clumsy set. _

"Ah, no need to apologize, it is indeed a good habit to voice your thoughts whenever you are troubled." _The flying tome floated above Nepgear's head, where it gently laid. _"A request for an orphanage… It seems such cases have multiplied through the days, but I hope you haven't been approving all demands of such nature. "

"Huh? W-Well, not really… M-Maybe just a few…" _Unfortunate for the terrible liar, her bluff was an attempt at covering the sun with a sieve. The book fairy had hopped off her head and began scanning over some of the papers the replacing CPU approved and denied alike. _

_Similar to a daughter being judged by her mother, the tech-geek rubbed her feet together and analysed for any small changes in Histoire's features while she flipped between the subjects. _

_The first thing she noticed was a sigh. _

"You work is accurate and your speed is commendable, but you can not let your feelings get the better of you, Nepgear." _Gently returning the pages where they were, the blonde oracle took off on her tome, and flew right before her CPU candidate. Their eyes met, and the humourlessness was instantly felt. _"From what I've seen you've already agreed on two demands involving orphanages, and another involving building a new school… But have you thought over the abysmal decrease in birth rates lately? Our statistics have shown a concerning increase in Uni-gender marriage, mostly from girls?"

_Right as the fact came to life, Nepgear's fingers got to work. A couple of clicks introduced a welcoming screen to a stats-based program. The girl knew that this Ai was for the very-exclusive use of the four CPU, each with their respective passwords, one of which she entered swiftly after memorizing it by heart. _

_**DING-DONG! **_

"_**Welcome CPU: Purple Heart." **_

_The automation greeted mere seconds after its confirmation bell. Hearing her sister's name did feel off, but right now little sentiments were irrelevant. A click here and a drag there, the next for the throne had her eyes on a confidential news she was asked to fetch. _

"You're… Right. How come I've never noticed this up till now?!" _The sudden realization of her neglect brought down a mighty frown on the sanctity's lineaments. _"This is so horrible… Almost third of the nation aren't married properly, at this rate…"

"I see you've noticed. At this rate, birth-rates will cutback drastically, which means the existence of orphanages would also follow in importance." _After convincing the teenager of her point, the magical creature proceeded to hover over the keyboard, and adorably tap the keys with her feet. _"What makes this dilemma much more pressuring are the increasing numbers of divorces we received as you can see here… Nepgear, I fear your duty would be far more challenging than what you excel at. You simply must bring people together."

_Nepgear found herself having a staring contest with her thighs… Indeed, for the entirety of the Oracle's guidings, she did nothing but look down and ponder. 'Goodness, a CPU's work is so hard… Sis was dealing with it so easily…' She told herself. 'How am I going to make people love each other, when I can't even make proper decisions and revise my resources.' _

"Nepgear? Are you listening?" _As soon as Histoire noticed the lack of a self-doubting, meek voice, she began to show concern. _

"A-Ah? Y-Yes, I am!" _Contrite was smothered all over the mature youngster. Her mind was at war between so many arrangements, and that resorted to her rolling back to the same overly-sorry girl we knew before ASIC was done for. _

"Good. You should be prepared for what the future holds…" _Concluding her tiny visit, Planeptune's supervisor unwinded her humourless gears, and brought her features to a kind, caring set. _"Why don't you take a break? You've been up far before anyone else, and have been working restless. I'm sure you're the only person capable of waking up Neptune as well."

"Oh, what time is it-" _hastily, the smaller ruler peeked down at the corner of her screen. _

**11:27 AM. **

"Golly! Has it already been six hours!?" _Her surprise could not be expressed with anything better than her widened eyes and unsure appearance. _"Goodness, I need to wake Neptune up, but first I need to contact Miss Mina, Chika and Uni…"

_The girl was multitasking between her loud thoughts. She had no companion to voice her efforts to as the history recorder had already excused herself. Nepgear took the liberty to divert out of the top-confidential system and into the chatting application everyone adopted: __**Chatindustri.**_

_The platform enjoyed a sleek theme of grey and blue. Right off the bat, the gathering spot's logo loads up to portray start-up. A loading screen brimming with life, the four dots that fade in and out one after another each endorsed one of the four nation's logos, starting with Planeptune from the left, then Lowee, followed by Lastation and ending with Leanbox, each spinning into life and out again in the same manner. With the aspirant's high-spec device, it took nothing but a mere second for the view to open up on a customized main page, the background was Neptune and Nepgear embracing each other carefreely, joy brimming out of their smiles and unperturbed irises. _

_As per usual, the tech-geek smiled. It always caught her by surprise how warm that picture made her heart. The contents swelling up inside of her always brewed to an unsuppressable bright. _

_Her muscle memory booted to life in an instant. The purplette swiped over her chat list, uncaring for the number of notifications her bell exhibited. _

_One thing was of note though: As soon as her eyes scanned over her friends list, three dear ones were lit up with unread messages, their names exclusive with an orange hue. 'Goodness, they must be so worried now…' _

_In preparations, Nepgear sighed quietly, then started a group chat between her, Uni, Rom and Ram- 'Mmm, I don't think telling Rom and Ram myself is a nice idea… They are probably going to get concerned, or do something rash.' That thought enriched her next movement. She canceled the twin's invitation, and corrected it to others towards Mina and Chika. _

_**Click. **_

_As soon as her request was confirmed, four messages beeped audibly, and popped up before the association organizer. _

̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿'̿'\̵͇̿̿\ **Uni Uni Ni ****/̵͇̿̿/'̿'̿ ̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿****, Today At 11:30 AM: **

["There you are! Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to reach you!?]

["You better have a good reason for wasting my time like that!"]

** Mina Nishizawa|Lowee's Oracle, Today At 11:30 AM: **

["Miss Nepgear, at last… Do you know why Lady Blanc stormed out in a hurry this morning?"]

** Chika Hakozaki|Leanbox's Oracle, Today At 11:30 AM: **

["How dare you make me wait so long! I'm over here worrying for my darling's safety while you were taking long time wasting naps!"]

"Aaah! All three of them seem really upset…!" _With utmost urgency, her fingers danced beautifully, consistently and skilfully on the plastic keys, each press producing a satisfying click that channeled through the hushed office. _

** Nepgear|Planeptune's CPU Candidate, Today at 11:31 AM: **

["aAAH? sORRY§ i WAS CAUGHT UP WITH WORK§"]

̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿'̿'\̵͇̿̿\ **Uni Uni Ni ****/̵͇̿̿/'̿'̿ ̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿****, Today At 11:31 AM: **

["Eh!? Why are you yelling!]

** Nepgear|Planeptune's CPU Candidate, Today at 11:32 AM:**

["Sorry! I had my caps lock on by accident! I meant that I was working and forgot to update everyone…"]

_Even in the digital world, regret dripped off the polite lass' speeches. It was truly remarkable how she managed to transfer her honesty through simple, cold words and letters. _

** ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿'̿'\̵͇̿̿\**** Uni Uni Ni ****/̵͇̿̿/'̿'̿ ̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿****, Today At 11:32 AM: **

["Geez, don't scare me like that! Idiot…"]

** Mina Nishizawa|Lowee's Oracle, Today At 11:33 AM:**

["Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but there are more important matters to discuss... "]

** Chika Hakozaki|Leanbox's Oracle, Today At 11:33 AM:**

["Unless you're so greedy as to monopolize information."]

** Nepgear|Planeptune's CPU Candidate, Today at 11:33 AM:**

["Right… Um well you see…"]

_Nepgear felt the need to separate her thinking process from actual information. It was better for the trio to understand the criticality of their current status. _

_She sighed again, bracing for impact. A funny thought played in her head though, that as soon as she would deliver the news, her ears would instantly be deafened by all three of them yelling in disbelief. _

_Is this what every bad news bearer has to go through…? That's rough._

_At Lastation, Lowee and Leanbox, the trio had their eyes fixated on the screen. Uni's concern was a lot more apparent than she wished to show. Mina had her right fist clenched and against her mouth, expecting the worst, fortifying herself mentally and physically. As for Chika, she was biting on nail after another, she seemed almost done with all ten fingers, and just like them, her patience was nearing its final drops. Words simply lacked to express her intense desire and hostility towards knowing what came to pass._

_** Nepgear|Planeptune's CPU Candidate is typing… **_

_Indeed she was. Because no matter how fast her fingers jumped from key to another, there was no concise version of the story. _

_It was complicated, mind boggling and quite frankly, if you told it to anyone, chances are they'll call an ambulance for you. _

** Nepgear|Planeptune's CPU Candidate, Today at 11:37 AM:**

["It seems like Neptune and the other CPUs somehow ended up separating from their HDD forms… They all suffered the same changes like headaches, restlessness and inability to access HDD. They stormed out of your nations to have an urgent meeting where they ended up deciding to summon someone to help them. She says her name was Mollie Puriolét.]

_Somehow, the lilacette's expectations didn't come to fruition. As soon as she hit enter, her arms raced before her face like she was defending an upcoming blow. She had this nagging feeling that even when she was telling the truth, her very best friend still wouldn't believe her, and accuse her of most unwell things. _

_All that was the anxious side talking though, because nothing happened. Nothing but a prolonged lull of silence in both the real and the digital world. _

'_Hmm…? Are they just taking long to read my message?' Still doubtful, the second in command wondered as her arms slowly dropped down in anticipation. _

** Chika Hakozaki|Leanbox's Oracle, Today At 11:40 AM:**

["What kind of nonsense is that! I demand the truth!]

** Mina Nishizawa|Lowee's Oracle, Today At 11:40 AM:**

["As unbelievable as that sounds… I feel like I read something similar once."]

** Chika Hakozaki|Leanbox's Oracle, Today At 11:41 AM:**

["Are you going to believe her because of some book!? This is obviously scandalous, she is hoarding information!"]

** Mina Nishizawa|Lowee's Oracle, Today At 11:41 AM:**

["I fail to think of a reason for Miss Nepgear to hide info. I think we shouldn't doubt her for now and wait until our respective CPUs return for clarification."]

_** Chika Hakozaki|Leanbox's Oracle is typing...**_

'_Goodness, now they are arguing again…' The lilacette was alone with her thinking whilst mindlessly skimming through the cycling chat before her. Suddenly, another speculation flared. 'Where's Uni?'_

_Time passed, continuously eating away at Nepgear's thoughts. One by one they were shot down, and as her ammunition ran out, she extended a hand to hold her mouse… _

_** Incoming call. Incoming call… **_

_A sudden ringing brought each limb to jitter in surprise. 'C-Call? But Chatindustri doesn't have that function…' _

_Indeed it does not. That's because the call was beckoning from another application operating behind the scenes. Nepgear looked down at the corner of her screen, and quickly spotted the source. _

_It was Vertigo, another chatting app dedicated purely for gaming, unlike Chatindustri that focused on social media and convenient chatting rooms. Its theme was black and green, similar to the logo which was a simple green V contained in a shiny see through black box._

_But another thing created a pit in the CPU's stomach… _

_The request was for a video call and from Uni._

_Whelp, no choice but to take it, it's not like she was going to get scolded for something she didn't do, right?_

_**Click- **_

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE CPUs LOST THEIR HDDs!?" _The ravenette Candidate almost strained her voice by how shocked she sounded. _"Listen, you don't have to make fools of us. If you're going to act like a jerk, I can just fly there and get the answers myself- E-Eh?! Nepgear? Helloooo?"

_Right as her anger subsided by a fragment, the lonely realization struck the damsel like a freight train. She made the effort to peek around the room, one that was fruitless when staring at a 2D interface. _

"Down… Here…" _Struggling to get those words out, the sailor dress rocker climbed up to her chair desperately after falling out due to shock. It was similar to someone climbing up to their bed after a long, exhausting day of work. _"T-That was so mean, Uni… You could have warned me before yelling like that…"

_Unfortunately, Lastation's second in command was not in the mood to kid. She crossed her arms in annoyance, and gazed aside _"Stop playing around, unless you're ready to say the truth."

"I-I'm not lying! I'm honestly telling the truth!"

"So what? You expect me to believe that Noire suddenly lost her HDD and now she can't transform!?"

_Now that she was on the receiving end, Nepgear realized how dumb her story sounded… Her line of sight met the floor below her, and she fell into a pool of silence. _

_But at the same time, Uni eyeing her best friend's emotions turn so desperate made some question marks float around her head. 'Why isn't she just admitting it was a lie… N-No way…' _

"Nepgear… You can't be serious."

"Mhm…" _With a slight, slow nod, the purplette confirmed. _"It really happened, Neptune and the others can't transform and now they all haven't woke up yet."

"W-What!?" Comedically, Uni's eyes dressed in blank white bordered by a black, thick line. "Noire never sleeps past seven in the morning, and that's only on weekends!"

"I know… But that's why I'm concerned. What if the strain they kept putting on themselves will come back to haunt them without HDD now?" _Instantly catching herself mid-rambling, the sword-user excused herself. _"S-Sorry, but now I'm late… I should go wake up Neptune and the others, or else Histoire will scold me."

"Huh?! Hey wait! I still have a lot I want to ask!"

"I'll call you again later…" _Uncharacteristically, Planeptune's candidate was first to cut the call and exit her office, heading towards her room. _

"What the- Hey! Did you just cut me off!?" _With astonishment spilt all over her mug, the young gun-lover stared skeptically at her chat logs with her friend. 'Was I… Too harsh on her…?' _

_**Back at Planeptune… **_

"Neptune? Neptune, wake up already it's late!" _With a hint of firmness, the younger sister shook the tyke. _

"Mmmm… Five minuuuutes…" _With instinct, Neptune began to swat her sibling away like she swatted a fly. _

"Neptune, it's eleven in the morning!"

"Nepuuu~ Nepuuuu~" _Whitenoising her sister's calls, Neptune dove straight back into dreamland and snored peacefully in her own quirky way. _

_Unfortunately though, such an act only made her appear lazier in the eyes of the expecting sibling. Nepgear knew that if she doesn't act firm once or twice with her relative, then she would only worsen and worsen, until she wouldn't even care if the Candidate herself was getting molested!_

_Not good. _

_It was time to let talks aside and roll one's sleeves up. With a quick, angry huff the tech-geek gripped the bed sheets and prepared to fling them right across the room. _

…

"Nepuuu…~"

'_Aww… She looks so tired, I just can't wake her up this rudely. She would probably get so angry at me and then not talk to me again…' Quick on her doubts, the hesitant lass matched her thoughts with her letting go of the neat blanket. She portrayed a sorry set of expressions, similar to a cat after being caught trying to hook itself a golden fish from a family's aquarium. _

_It took a while, maybe even longer than usual but the co-leader composed herself. She made sure to inhale as much air as possible and clear her thoughts._

_See? Not bad. 'I guess I shouldn't lash out on sis, especially now that she lost her HDD... ' _

_Caringly, the angelic imouto put a palm on Neptune's shoulder, and shook her. _"Sis, please wake uuuup… If you do, I'll make you some snacks!~"

"Fiine, fiiine… I'm up…" _Astonishingly, the happy-go-lucky didn't seem all that moved by her sister's offer. In fact, it felt like she was already awake, contemplating the events that unfolded before, thinking under a thick, warm blanket. _

"O-Oh, Neptune." _Taking note of the changes in the protag of all protag's behaviours, Nepgear began testing the waters. _"Did you sleep well?~"

"Well, I guess you can say so!" _Striking a doubtful smile, the addressed figure hopped off her bunker and reassured the youthful sanctity with a pat on the shoulder. _"Aw come on! If the first thing I see is a gloomy Jr., then my day is already ruined! It's not like I told you to stab me for the greater good so give me my daily dose of happy little sister!"

_Even with how bizarre her comment blared, it was just like Neptune… That's how Nepgear shrugged off her doubts. Soon after, the corners of her mouth curled up nicely to form a reviving spell! _

"Goodness Neptune, that sounds horrible!" _Oh wait… It was just her angelic smile. _

_With a cute giggle, the short deity hurried to the bathroom, taking along nothing but two towels: one for her small body and the other for her spiky hair. All-though she hummed a happy tune, the self-conscious gem still had her own doubts. '...I really hope she's being honest…' _

_On the bright side, that was one less sleepy-head. Three only others left! _

_Who would she head over to next? She contemplated whilst exiting her room and marching down the hallways. Her eyes fixated on the deluxe floor and her arms formed a thinking pose. _

_Step by step, she dove clumsily into her thinking, crossing further from reality and closer to fantasy. Her legs functioned on mere, blind knowledge of the basilicom's whereabouts long enough before a skull crushing pain reigned down on her. _"Ow!" _The sudden hurt was coupled by the intense yelp of distress._

_But its source differed from the thinker. _

_Both girls stumbled back, rubbing their foreheads quickly in hopes of easing the aching. _"Ouchies! S-Sorry! It's my fault for not looking in front of me!" _As per usual, Planeptune's candidate prioritized apology before tending to herself. _

"G-Geez Nepgear!" T_he purplette looked up and before her stumbled the elegant but agitated Noire. She was holding to her hurting head in the same manner as the former, but didn't quite match her kind, regretful features. Instead she displayed a set of honest pain and annoyance. _"Watch where you're going! One careless idiot is enough…!"

"I-I'm really sorry! It was an accident, I was wondering who to wake up and- H-Huh? Who do you mean?" _Shifting instantly from regret to bafflement, the clumsy one asked. _

"Ugh… Neptune, and who else?" _Lastation's Goddess retorted rudely. Her answer dripped with impatience as her arms crossed firmly._

"Well um… Are you fine?" _Beaming clumsily, the diligent girl questioned with a dash of fear. The ravenette was notorious for her harsh, sharp scolding and the happy-go-lucky really didn't want to be chastised because of false concerns right now._

_But the question didn't bloom from nothing. It was the maturation of the violet's keen eye, she analysed the cosplayer's features, and how much pain they were trying to hide from showing. It was a lot more than what a CPU would feel._

_Surely just hitting their heads wouldn't make a Goddess flinch… Would it? Falling from skull crushing heights was Neptune's trademark, and she always shrugged the incidents with a silly giggle and a joke, so it shouldn't differ for the other rulers, right…?_

"I thought you were still asleep and wanted to come wake you up."

"Yes I'm fine, don't worry." _But surprisingly, that was not the case. The workaholic seemed not in the mood to lecture the young sister, but… She also didn't seem in the mood to hold a heart to heart conversation. _"Just because I'm not in Lastation doesn't mean I get to take it easy and slack off. Besides, it's not like losing my HDD is going to make me give up or get depressed, I barely used it in these peaceful times anyway."

_No deception could be sensed from the factotum. Noire had a blinding pride and an intense desire to deal with whatever fate throws at her without having to depend on anyone._

_Before any retorts could be added, she already began pacing steadily towards the east wing of Planeptune's tower. _

_Yeah, she was definitely in a rush._

_Nothing lingered after but the slender melody of silence and a stressful air soon to be crushed by a burdened sigh. 'Awww, I definitely made her mad… Though, why did she seem really upset with sis? Aaah, maybe I'm just overthinking things!'_

_Whelp! On the bright side, that's one less CPU to wake up! Only two left, and Vert's room just so happened to be ahead! Nepgear carefully approached the door and gave its knob a firm hold, but as she did, a sudden yet familiar sound of mouse clicks filtered through the walls. 'Huh? Is Lady Vert up as well?' The teenager abruptly wondered, her thoughts paired up with her raised fist gently giving the door a couple of polite knocks. _

_**Knock, Knock. **_

_The hard, wooden reply resonated, and was followed by countless moments of unresponsiveness. 'M-Maybe I didn't knock hard enough…' That inkling feeling was enough to make the girl try again, this time a little harder. _

_**Knock knock! **_

"Lady Vert? Are you awake?"

"...Huh? Ah, Nepgear, please come in." _Her answer could be heard after sudden rustling, but the goddess sounded as elegant and welcoming as ever. _

_Permitted the entrance, the visitor gave the portal a gentle push and walked in. The creaky door produced a loud screech before stopping in motion. First thing she noticed was Vert sitting on her neatly made bed, and a laptop happily occupying her heavenly lap. The blonde goddess had the window open, inviting in a life replenishing breeze coupled by strings of gold running unbridled. The hand of sun itself reached gracefully through the aperture and caressed the enchanting lineaments with a fluorescent blessing. _

"How may I be of help, dear?~" _A motherly smile sweetened reply. Leanbox's CPU had a pair of black headsets wrapping around her delicate neck, with a headband donning a green line and two circles of the same, leanboxian hue to each speaker's exterior. Within the olive encirclement of each ear was a glowing "V" letter. These babies were definitely custom made for Gamindustri's leading gamer._

"O-Oh, I just wanted to come wake you up, but I guess you already got that covered…" _Nepgear folded her hands together and mustered a curl in her lips. Suddenly, her ears picked something muted sourcing from the room. _

_Something like… 'A chatter?' In quick successions, her eyes darted around, but only to land on Vert's personal device. _"Lady Vert? Is this sound coming from your laptop?"

_The inquiry caught the woman by surprise. Her blue sightseers flashed instantly at the screen, then landed uneasily on the Purplette. _"Ah, so it seems… Chika always scolded me for raising the volume too high." _The questioned one said, then proceeded to lower the intensity. _

_But it was too late. The tech-genius already had her curiosity piqued, and before the sisterless CPU could react she dragged her weightless body besides the mother-role and peeked innocently at the display. _

"..." _Blink blink. _"A map? But how is chatter coming out of a map, you don't have any other tabs open." _She pointed cluelessly at the lone tab on the bottom of the browser. _

"N-Nepgear dear… It's rude to peek at what others are doing w-without permission…" _The shaken sanctity spoke through a thick wall of discomfort. She hadn't felt this kind of pressure ever since Chika discovered her playing completely naked._

_["It's best for free movement and optimised gaming"] really wasn't a good enough reason to stop the Oracle's nose bleeding that day..._

"Also why does this map look like Planeptune's? Hmmm…" _The gamer's admonition fell on deaf ears, Planeptune's candidate maintained her adverse inquisition, which was getting increasingly uncomfortable for the deity. _

'_She even ignored my scolding…' Vert sighed and considered her options. 'There is no deterring her in this state… To think I'd get pressured by little Nepgear, she's truly different from the Nepgear we knew before. This could turn troublesome if such actions were implemented while I was working on a secret project...' _

_Admitting defeat, the busty angel let out a troubled breath and raised her white flag. _"If you must know" _As soon as she began her answer, she held the curious cat closely. _"But no one must know of this, it's crucial."

_Fainting idiocy or not, at that small frame of time the tech-genius could feel no humour in the pervert's stare or words…_

_Nepgear felt an aura never sensed before from the graceful pamperer. A corner piece from Vert's puzzle seen by no one but the four CPUs, a rendition she never thought she'd feel so helpless against._

_She nodded, her body acting on its own. _"Y-Yes ma'am…!"_ she obediently added, and that addition was like music to the multi-layered CPU. She broke the tension and melted it with a silky beam. _

"Ma'am? Heavens, Nepgear, what's with the sudden formalities?" _Vert decided to play dumb and ease the rigity she caused. _"We're no strangers, are we? Or do you mean to imply that you never considered me anything closer than a mere acquaintance…?" _She frowned mid-way, affirming her discontent. _

"No, no no! T-That's not it!"_ She said while firmly shaking her head in disagreement, and proceeded to raise her arms in a defensive position._ "T-That's not it at all! I really think you're nice and, and!"

_Amidst her countless flustered attempts to explain her actions, the gamer giggled and patted her endearingly. _"Hmhm~ don't worry, I was merely jesting." _With that aside, she unplugged her earphone jack and the voice heard earlier was crystal clear, already occupying the entire room with its presence. _

"_I-It's so nice in here…" A meek voice started. _

'_Huh?' Nepgear's mind instantly caught up. 'That sounds like-' _

"_Isn't it?~ Planeptune has a really nice garden. You can aaaalways come in here whenever you're feeling under the weather! If you're a fan of drawing, this place is perfect!" Another voice chirped in contrast with the first talker. Its bearer seemed to be quite upbeat. _

"H-Huh? These voices…" _A thick line began to form between her brows, she hesitantly eyed the holy figure, the heavy words were really making it hard for her to deliver. _"Are those-"

"Compa and Mollie, you mean?" _The skilful spear-wielder interrupted. _"Yes, it seems you possess fine hearing."

"B-But… I don't understand, how…" _It was troubling, how lost the small girl found herself. She cursed her curiosity for leading her here, and hated her mind for bringing up such a wretched possibility but… _"L-Lady Vert… Are you spying on them?!"

"How harsh…" _Unlike those hurt words, the accused spy didn't seem to display very regretful features, her face was dry of any humour too. _"I would rather call it: Taking proper measures."

_Though the laptop was still shamelessly broadcasting the private chatter between the pinkette and the nurse, it was all unheard, white-noised and forgotten. _

_Nepgear refused to eavesdrop on such sensitive content!_

"Proper measures…?"

"Yes, indeed." _The no more Green Heart calmly shut her laptop and cast it aside. As soon as the LCD Display kissed the keyboard, the minicomputer quietly dozed off._ "As much as I spite such actions, we can not let our eyes off Mollie, especially not now. I'm sure you've taken note of really concerning complications regarding her."

"...!" _Nep Jr.'s rash nature made her wish to leap at the first given chance to retort, and say how young Puriolét suffered from nothing, and didn't deserve to be spied on! _

_But…_

_As soon as she raised her gaze to talk, it bounced to the side. The alluring goddess found a dryout of words, she couldn't disapprove of that theory, not after she saw and heard the pinkette moan in pain and say self-spitting things while sleep talking. 'I really don't want to admit it, but she's right…' _

"I see you've come to your senses?" _The blonde continued_. "I can understand how this can make you uncomfortable, but please grasp that I'm not planning anything unpleasant. As soon as we make sure she would be safe from her very self, I'll cease my monitoring and hand you the means used to listening in personally, does that reassure you?"

_Hearing those words truly put the Candidate's heart to rest, after all she and the Goddess of Green have fought together side by side, she knew she could trust her and thus decided to abide by her promise to keep this under the rug with a nod. _"O-Okay." _Suddenly, a thought dawned on her._ "Oh, Lady Vert, how did you put the device on her? I-I mean, she isn't wearing the same clothes from when you went to check on her s-so… When?"

"Ah, that would be quite simple. I put it on Compa."

"H-Huh!? C-Compa!?" _The answer flabbergasted Nepgear._

"Indeed. It was not possible to attach it to Mollie due to her not having clothes of her own, as well as that she revealed possessing telekinetic powers. That type of person tends to be exceedingly careful and self-aware." _With that explanation out of the way, Vert loosened up, and smiled to the inquirer. _"So I kindly asked Compa to equip it on herself as she will always be next to Mollie. From there she could easily report to me if she notices anything suspicious."

"That makes sense…"

_Within the alluring damsel a calming sense of relief brewed. The potion surged through her whole and nullified the anxiety with a sense of reliability emitted by the blonde. It felt like everything was going to be okay, that this impasse was nothing but a passing phase that would only bequeath them stronger. 'Wow… Lady Vert is really cool!' The childish part of her mind came to life, painting the competent woman in front of her in colours of a superhero… Which she wasn't too far from, to be fair. _

"Now with that out of the way, would you allow me to do the questioning now?~ I think that would be only fair." _Vert unknowingly interfered with her companion's ponders. _

"Hmm? Oh sure."

"What are your thoughts on Mollie?" _The query dripped with concentrated curiosity. The CPU even inched closer upon letting the statement escape her pencil-thin lips. _"I got a general idea on what the others think, but I never got to hear your own piece."

"Oh, well…" _Nepgear started. _"I think she's nice, she's just been through so much and that's making it really hard for her to trust anyone other than those she knew before…"_ Amidst her speech, she locked eyes with Vert. _"But she reminds me so much of myself before we defeated ASIC, only that I had Miss Compa and Miss IF to support me. And also Uni, and Rom and Ram… But she has no one…" _Just the memory of how clueless the Candidate was, how hard she trembled in her cute boots at the thought of saving the world, of having the entirety of Gamindustri putting all their hopes at once all on her shoulder, of disappointing everyone again... __**Of not having Neptune to hide behind.**__ It scared her, it frightened her, and deprived the diligent worrywart from plenty of shuteye. _

_But how harder must it be for young Puriolét? When you throw a clueless girl that trembles in her boots at the thought of saving the world and having an entire population putting their hopes at once on her shoulder in a world far different from hers, a world far, far away from her destroyed haven, a new blank slate that she could very well blemish with an ink of disappointment..._

_All that swirled into the uneasy mind of Nepgear, and she didn't want to imagine what'd occur if Mollie caught even the slightest idea that someone from her new companions was ignoring her pain and suffering… She could outright give up._

"So I think I want to support her just like everyone supported me, even if she doesn't trust me!" _A spark of determination flared on her features, the blonde had all the reasons to ease her doubts. _

"My… You've truly grown, Nepgear." _Vert faked her surprise, and assigned a motherly beam to her reply. _"I understand your take on the matter, it seems like we aren't that different after all. Maybe you're willing to think over my invitation of being my baby sister?~" _The sudden question flanked the young Nep like a soldier unaware of their six. _

"U-Um… I-I don't think that Neptune would be happy with that…" _The purplette was quick to her feet. She began to trace away reluctantly. _"I need to go wake up Lady Blanc n-now so…"

"Ah, that won't be necessary dear." _The tea connoisseur remarked calmly. She ran her arm below her voluptuous chest and started to approach the stunned violet. _"She came to me early morning asking me not to bother her in the library unless something comes up, and closed herself there since then."

"The library?" _'That's the west wing of the basilicom… Contrary to where lady Noire went earlier.' The youngster quickly noted. _"So… Everyone was awake apart from Neptune?" _She asked while eyeing the Goddess. At first glance it seemed like she was approaching Nepgear, but instead she went past her, inviting the Lilac out as well. _

"Well, that's just like Neptune, I'm glad to know she's handling the situation composedly… Maybe too composed as that."

"Y-Yeah…" _Smiling clumsily, the techie brought her attention to something else right after her agreement. _"Are you going somewhere?"

"Ah, worry not, it's a simple task. I'll be back, unless you have business of your own?" _Leanbox's Goddess raised an eyebrow at that thought, and peeked over her shoulder._

"O-Oh r-right! Uni! I forgot!" _As if hit by a wave of electricity, young Gear tensed up, her peepers shrinking to dots under the reminding words of her ally. She briskly ran past Vert and paced towards her- N-Neptune's office! _

_But right as she took a corner turn, she stopped in her tracks and peeked from around the build's curvature. 'Where was Vert headed?' was a question she wanted answered! And right as she peeped around the angle…_

_She saw Vert heading towards the eastern wing. _

°•. ✿ .•°

°•. ✿ .•°

"Heheh, it's kind of embarrassing since I didn't even know how to use bandages back then…" _The uncomfortably toned reply came from Compa, who seemed to be immersed in a certain topic with Mollie. _

"N-No way… Lady Neptune fell from the sky, on her head!?" _The pinkette was the perfect example of a child in awe, her eyes may have reduced to dots due to surprise and concern, but the way her entire body faced the nurse spelt interest. _

"Mhm~ But she does tend to do that a lot." _It's not like the peach cake was proud of her ally for having such a habit. In fact she did always hope that the tyke would just switch into HDD whenever she was free falling, but 'that's just wishful thinking, Nep-Nep will always be Nep-Nep'. _

"But really, Nep-Nep is a really kind person, not only her but all of the CPUs are. They aren't like those mean and haughty Goddesses you'd see in stories and TV." _As soon as she began mentioning the inaccurate version of divinities, Compa pursed her lips out and expressed her genuine displeasure regarding the blasphemous adaptations._

"A-Ah! N-No no! I never thought of them like that! I-I don't respect them out of fear I…" _Young Puriolét found a hard time choosing words. She knew that not everyone would see the world in her vision, she knew that for others, it'd seem like she was being too logical. _"I just respect who they are. I… I think they are Goddesses for a reason and… Well, even if we don't know that reason, it must be very good and I'm willing to abide by it and treat them like you should treat a holy being."

_That answer baffled Compa. She knew better than anyone that the CPUs were sacred beings unlike any normal person -even if they don't really show said sacredness when she's around them- but she never thought about them in a religious manner. Before she met with Neptune and Nepgear, her faith had already belonged to them regardless. So getting to know them on a personal level eased any shred of concern her core housed, and replaced it with relief and remedy that her conviction was in good hands. _

_But she couldn't remember herself praying to her ladyship that much… Maybe in traditional, anniversary festivals where the citizens were welcome to visit the basilicom in order to pay their respects and wish for happy and healthy years. But other than that, did she view Neptune mostly as a friend, or as a CPU...? _

"So you mean in a strict religious way?" _She blinked twice before questioning. _

"...Yeah." _It took the stranger a couple of seconds before admitting. Back in her world, not many people were enamoured by the idea that the moon would turn pink every hundred years or so to bless the citizens with peace and a certain human of choice with powers that'd make them beyond that, and she feared that'd be the case here. _"Do you… Think I'm weird and naive…?"

"Huh? No no! I'm just wondering how you ended up being so loyal to divine beings!"

"Oh, well because my powers were given to me by the pink moon in the first place!" _The sudden shift in tones caught the caretaker off guard. She found herself drowning in abrupt curiosity as to how the girl's world is like… _

_Okay, that's a big fat mean lie. _

_Throughout the entire day, Compa's been mulling over asking Mollie about her world. She fancied knowing about how outer realms were like and how different "Normal" was for them. But was that okay? Especially now that the Pinkette has finally stopped having dots in her lines? _

"Really? That's super cool!" _Her bird-like chirp affirmed honesty. _

"And well, mom also raised me to respect fate and whatever it holds, no matter what."

"Aah, I see-" _Before she even contemplated, the Maker stopped midway, the abrupt silence attracting even deaf ears. 'W-Wait, she's okay talking about her mommy?'_

"Miss Compa…?" _The young flower's brows narrowed in caring concern. 'This is the second time she stops talking… Is it something I said?' Her doubts talked. _

"Hey, Miss Mollie…" _Compa suddenly called out. _"Can you tell me more about your mommy?" _She asked gently and calmly. _

"Oh, sure!" _Said Puriolét, deepening her ally's thoughts. _

_Why was she suddenly so open about mentioning her past relatives when it made her turn blue both literally and figuratively whenever she even thought about them earlier? 'That doesn't feel right…' the curious damsel noted before pouring her attention on the story teller. _

"Well, mom… Mom… Hmmm, where do I start…" _Cupping her chin, the orphan stared at the sky in pure loss. _

_The sky… _

_The sky. It was so beautiful today. Its comely oceanic hue coupled by the daisy white clouds soaring happily like a bunch of flying sheep... _

'_Aaah! I'm getting distracted- Wait! THE SKY!' Something clicked inside the azalea. Its sound was brought to reality by a sudden flick of her finger. _"I know! Her hair was so gorgeous and captivating! It was just like the sky right now.~ Her eyes also had matching colours, but she had the same glow I do so it made her look even more ravishing! I know it's really rude to call your parents by name but her name was Alexandra."

"Oooh, that's such a cute name!"

"I spent most of my time with her. I know it's a running trend in shows and whatnot that people call their family member a friend, but I think she really was my only friend and family…"

"Only…?" _Though Mollie didn't seem heart broken about that last statement, it did add to Compa's worries… It added a lot, actually. _

"Well yeah, my father died long before." _The contrast between those hard hitting words and her aloof mood were like water and oil… _

_Hard to digest. _

"But despite that, mom really taught me everything I know, and gave me a life I don't think even royal blood could offer. She was kind, supportive," _Right before continuing, the psychic knocked on her head twice and cutely stuck her tongue out. _"And really bops like a martial artist."

_The nurse was torn. Between fabricating a smile and a cheery statement, or delving deeper into all the unsettling implications the daydreamer voiced. 'Maybe… Maybe she got used to her father's loss? Maybe Miss Alexandra managed to fill both roles in her life? Uuuu, this is harder than I thought.' _

_The agitation surely affirmed itself into the nurse, but it was quickly washed to the back of her mind under a sudden flood of thoughts… She paid a lot more attention to the negatives than positives! What a dull mistake for someone with her experience!_ _'How did I forget! A nurse should never show weakness to her patient! Who else would they depend on if I got frightened all willy-nilly!?' She gave herself a couple of energizing symbolic slaps and strapped on her medic boots! Mollie seemed genuinely happy for once and her mother seemed like such a wonderful woman! And even if she was hiding something, Compa was certain that she'd get to the roots of the problem and give them the good ol' what for! _

"Miss Alexandra really is nice. I can tell that she really loved you.~" _The hospital worker remarked and folded her hands together, but as soon as her eyes landed on the Pinkette… _

"..." _She went dead silent. _"Loved me…? You think so…?"

"Of course! Would she do all she did for you if she didn't care for you? Besides, what you told me now about her only tells me that you two were closer than a baddie and the tip of my big trusty syringe!"

"Well… That's probably because I was just a burden on her, I mean… She couldn't just abandon me, or… Aaaah, I'm sure she deserved, and wanted a better child!"

"That is not true!"

"And how can you be so sure!?"

"...Because I saw and even helped many mothers give birth. The pain and fear they go through I can't put into words." _It was meaningless to argue, Compa thought. If she kept going back and forth, Mollie would only succumb deeper to her inner demons. So she leaned back on the bench, and narrowed her eyes. She eyed not the horizon. Not the birds chasing each other, not the beauteous woods stretching before them…_

_She eyed the past._

_It's best to let blind experience speak, sometimes. _

"In one moment, everyone is stressed. All the hospital workers rushing, the husband biting on his nails, and the mother is in so much agony it'd make you tear up…" _The story teller stole the show. People's banter and the sound of cars and civilization were all muted and filtered off. To both entities, only an ethereal tone filled the air. _

"The process of giving birth is the worst part, even with all that exhaustion, the mother has to push so hard and be so patient throughout the entire process. It actually scared me, it still does. The firm, strict orders from the doctors, the heavy, tight air in the room…

"But one thing was certain, one thing was identical in every case I helped at… As soon as the baby is born, in another moment all the suffering is instantly forgotten, and the cries of the child are almost like an announcement of successful childbirth. Every mother wants nothing, not some water, not rest, they just want to embrace their baby and welcome them to this world." _The conclusion was followed by a sigh. Compa turned from reminiscing to her companion, who she found teary eyed. _"Thing is Mollie, none of the mommies did that out of a sense of duty, or by force. They all gave birth out of sheer will, they all wanted to have kids to raise and spend the rest of their lives with… I don't think it's possible to hate your child after going through all that just to get them, It just doesn't make sense! Only a heartless woman could hate her baby, and I'm sure Miss Alexandra was not heartless!"

_Slowly but surely, sniffling could be heard. Young Puriolét turned away to hide her crying and muttered under her sobs._ "...M-Miss… Compa…?"

"Yes?"

"What... Ugh…" _It was impossible to speak properly with that overflow of emotions. The schoolgirl steeled her heart and puffed her chest, letting in as much air as it took to calm down. _

_And as she slowly exhaled… _

_She turned and locked eyes with Compa. _

"_**What do you think mom would want me to do next?" **_

_A strong flurry of emotions cooked within the questioned nurse. But she suppressed them, and drew nothing but a pencil-line smile on her enchanting features._

°•. ✿ .•°

_**TO BE CONTIN**__**UED.**_

_**Chapter 4: END.**_


End file.
